War Of Consequence
by Bill K
Summary: Hotaru and Yutaka become closer.  Jun-Jun learns who her parents were.  And Palla-Palla has a boyfriend, which surprises everyone, especially Palla-Palla.
1. The Dreaded Secret

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE

Chapter 1: "The Dreaded Secret"

A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Sailor Moon and all related characters are (c)2010 by Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha and Toei Animation and are used without permission, but with respect. Story is (c)2010 by Bill K.

* * *

As Hotaru Tomoe walked through the front gate of the palace of Crystal Tokyo, she wished for a fleeting moment that she could turn invisible. It wasn't the first time she'd wished such a thing in her short and occasionally troubled life. Sometimes it seemed like that ability would be the easy answer to a lot of her difficulties. The only thing that gave her the strength to continue was feeling Yutaka next to her, his sturdy masculine frame helping her to move forward. But as wonderful as it was to feel him beside her, his arm around her waist, he was part of the problem. She glanced up at the chronometer on the wall by the guard station. So was the time.

"Getting in a little late, aren't you?" Moriko asked as she stood in the doorway of the guard station. Moriko, the fox spirit recently turned human, was dressed in a palace security uniform and was one of the guards working the gate third shift. Only recently she'd cut her long russet hair to shoulder length, to try to reduce the resemblance she had to the Queen and to Princess Usagi. But seeing her smiling almost knowingly with that face was still unnerving to Hotaru.

"We lost track of time," Hotaru offered a little too quickly. Yutaka didn't add anything, as if he didn't trust himself to speak.

"That's probably easy to do when you're having fun," Moriko offered benignly. "I promise I won't say anything."

The couple nodded. They paused at the lift door and kissed, deeply and lovingly. Only then did they seem to relax and become natural. Moriko and her supervisor both smiled at the display. When they finally parted, Hotaru stepped into the lift and headed up to the floor her quarters were on. She didn't want to part from him, but knew she had to. The time hadn't come yet where she and Yutaka could spend their lives together. And she still had obligations to others.

And questions to face. As Hotaru walked down the corridor toward her quarters, the fear began to grow within her. Her Haruka-Papa would be waiting up. She always was. And there would be questions, because she was late. And there would always be the backhanded put-downs of Yutaka, because Haruka-Papa didn't like him. And oh would there be trouble if she found out what really happened. Hotaru paused at the door until the computer scanned her, recognized her and passed her in. Sure enough, there was Haruka, lightly dozing in a chair in the front room. Any hope Hotaru had of sneaking past her and into her room vanished when the pneumatic hiss of the door woke Haruka up.

"Oh, you're back," Haruka mumbled and squinted at the nearest chronometer.

"I know I'm late," sighed Hotaru. "I'm sorry. Yutaka and I lost track of time."

Haruka looked at her charge, almost like she was trying to read the teen's mind.

"Did you have fun?" Haruka asked, inscrutable as always.

"Yes," Hotaru replied, reflexively casting her eyes to the floor. Silently cursing herself, she forced herself to engage Haruka's eyes again.

"Where did you go?"

"Around," Hotaru answered and instantly realized how guilty the vague response sounded. "We went driving in Yutaka's new hover car. The one he bought last month. We went up to Sakura Hill - - and other places. Yutaka really likes driving his new vehicle."

"Guess I can relate," Haruka shrugged.

"I'm going to go to bed now," Hotaru stated. She moved for her room, hoping Haruka wouldn't stop her.

For her part, Haruka let Hotaru go. She could sense the nervousness of the girl. Something had happened. But it didn't seem like whatever happened was upsetting Hotaru. It seemed more like Hotaru was worried about other people finding out. Or maybe just certain other people.

In the bedroom she shared with Michiru, Haruka stripped out of her clothes and slid into bed next to the woman she loved. The action caused Michiru to stir.

"Hotaru finally back?" Michiru asked.

"Yeah," Haruka replied.

"You see, she didn't turn into a pumpkin," Michiru needled.

"Go back to sleep," Haruka told her. "You're not making any sense."

"Was everything all right?" Michiru asked, teetering on the brink of sleep again. "Or did she come home pregnant?"

Michiru said it in jest and drifted off to sleep again. For her part, Haruka just lay in bed and stared up into the darkness.

"I sure hope not," the woman mumbled, running her fingers through her sandy hair.

Once the door to her room closed and she was certain that Haruka wasn't going to enter, Hotaru engaged her computer and put in a call to the first person she confided anything to. After seven anxious beeps, the screen finally engaged. The Princess Usagi, eyelids drooping and strands of pink hair in her face, looked at her from the monitor.

"Hotaru? What time is it?" mumbled the Princess.

"I'm sorry for waking you, Usa," pleaded Hotaru, "but I just had to tell SOMEONE! Yutaka and I just got back from our date. Usa - - we did it."

"Did what?" Usa asked, still gathering her wits.

"USA!" fumed Hotaru. "IT!"

"You mean 'the big it'?" Usa gasped, suddenly wide awake.

"UM HMM!" beamed Hotaru.

"Well, don't just sit there, girl! Tell me EVERYTHING!" the Princess demanded.

And from under Usa's bed, Diana perked her head up and turned an ear to the conversation.

When Usa said her good-bye to her father upon exiting the Royal Chambers in the morning - - The Queen, naturally, was still asleep since it was only eight a.m. - - she had a surprise waiting for her outside the Chambers.

"Hotaru?" Usa exclaimed.

"H-Hi," Hotaru replied with a smile that seemed almost like a grimace. "I hope you don't mind me waiting for you."

"No," Usa told her. "You should have come on in. You're always welcome."

"I didn't want to intrude on your family time."

"So why are you out so early?" Usa asked as they began in the general direction of the cafeteria. Hotaru didn't answer right away. When the Princess noticed, she also noticed something else. "Is something wrong?"

Hotaru seemed to take on the demeanor of a desperate escapee.

"You know you can tell me anything," Usa reiterated.

"I know," Hotaru said. She took a breath to summon her courage. "Well, you know what happened last night, right?"

"Do I? It was the best hour I ever spent outside of the time I did it with Helios," smiled the girl. She quickly became serious. "There isn't trouble between you two already, is there?"

"No!" Hotaru answered quickly. Then she grew somber again. "It's just - - I'm afraid."

"Of what? That he won't love you anymore?"

"No. I'm," and Hotaru paused again. Extracting the words seemed to cause the teen no end of pain. Finally she sighed in frustration. "I'm afraid of what Papa will do - - if she finds out."

"Haruka?" Usa asked. "Why would she do anything?"

"Papa doesn't like Yutaka," Hotaru began. There was a slight edge of bitterness in her tone. "She never uses his name. She always calls him 'that boy'. And she's always suspicious of him. I just know she thinks Yutaka is only interested in me to - - to get me in bed. I guess I understand why she'd think that."

"You're not going to start putting your looks down again, are you?" sighed Usa.

"Well, we all know I'm not the beauty queen in our group," Hotaru maintained. "But it's more than that. Papa really doesn't really - - warm up to men very easily. I suppose it's understandable, given who she is - - and what happened to her. Even though it was so long ago, it's something you never forget."

"What happened to her?" Usa asked. Hotaru glanced at her friend with growing horror.

"Nobody ever told you?" Hotaru gasped. Usa shook her head innocently. "Um, well, never mind. But something happened a long time ago and I don't think she trusts men very easily because of it."

"And you think she's going to freak if she finds out you and Yutaka had sex?" Usa asked. Hotaru nodded forlornly. "It's hard to believe that. Then again, Haruka does have a temper."

"I know!" Hotaru almost sobbed. "What if she forbids me to see him again? What if she goes after him?"

"Aunt Michiru would never let her do that," Usa responded, "would she?"

"What if Mama can't stop her?"

"If there's anybody on this planet who can stop Haruka - - other than Mom," Usa assured her, "it's Aunt Michiru. Still, maybe you and Yutaka better cool it for a while until you can maybe tell Aunt Michiru and the both of you work on Haruka."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Hotaru replied and the disappointment was clear on her. Usa put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Girlfriend, I've been there. I know just what you're feeling."

Entering the cafeteria, the pair found the four Amazons waiting at their usual table. They all looked up from their meals.

"Good morning, Princess!" exclaimed Palla-Palla. "Good morning, Miss Hotaru Ma'am!"

"What are you two cooking up?" Cere asked. Jun had her eye on them as well.

"What makes you think we're cooking up anything?" Usa shot back.

"We can always tell when you two have been trading secrets," Cere grinned. "Besides, Hotaru usually comes to the cafeteria on her own. So, what's up?"

"Nothing important," Usa replied. Hotaru sat down uncomfortably.

"Ah, she was probably telling Hotaru about how she snuck into Helios's quarters and they did the horizontal," snickered Ves in between bites. Instantly Hotaru went beet red.

"That's got to be it," Jun smirked. "Hotaru's blushing."

"You bunch of gossips don't know what you're talking about," Usa grumbled.

Unnoticed by the others, Hotaru saw Palla-Palla pause for a moment and look directly at Hotaru. Then she smiled warmly and went back to shoveling Sugar Bombs cereal into her mouth.

"Great," Hotaru thought. "Someone else knows now."

* * *

"OK, class," Makoto Kino announced, "go to World History chapter 522.2 on your monitors. Today we're going to be covering late twenty-ninth century Colombia."

"Why?" groaned Ves as the others complied. "We don't live in Colombia. None of us are from Colombia."

"Ves, do you know what a North American bald eagle is?" Makoto asked her.

"Sure," Ves replied, confused by the question.

"Why?" Makoto continued. "It's not from Brasilia and it's not native to Japan."

"It's handy to know," Ves answered, "especially for me. What's that got to do with Colombia?"

"Colombian history, particularly this stretch of Colombian history, is also handy to know," Makoto told her.

"I don't get it," Ves persisted.

"There's a shock," muttered Cere. Palla-Palla giggled.

"Ves, there's an old saying: You don't repeat the history you know," Makoto told her.

"Actually," Usa interjected, "the saying is: Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Everyone looked at Makoto with cocked eyebrows, except Palla-Palla.

"Yeah, what she said," Makoto chuckled.

"Is this going to cover the Almonte regime?" Usa asked.

"Do you remember it?" Makoto asked.

"A little," Usa shrugged. "But mostly I only know what I've read on my own. I suppose we do need to know about it. After all, I did kind of indirectly end it."

"For real?" Ves gaped. This caught the attention of the others, too.

"Oh, interested now?" Makoto asked, smiling ironically. "Computer, engage visual aide sequence for World History 522.2."

The picture of a Colombian military general came up on the screen behind Makoto's lectern. It was a picture of a man, clearly of Spanish and Incan descent. He was in his early sixties with a lined face and hard, dark eyes. His eyebrows were heavy and a thick black mustache covered his upper lip, though his black hair was thinning with age. The image he projected was of a man used to leading and unafraid to use force to get his way.

"This is General Carlos Miguel Almonte," Makoto outlined. "In 2958, Colombia was devastated by a magnitude eight earthquake along the coastline and a three year drought brought on by climate change. Centuries of deforestation of the Amazon jungle by Colombia and Brazil shifted the weather patterns and ruined the agriculture beyond even the ability of computerized irrigation and hydroponics to stem. The deforestation is also thought to be responsible for massive mud-slides that occurred when it actually did rain. Well, because of all of this, the Colombian economy tanked and sent the country into a massive depression.

"That's when General Almonte seized power on August 18, 2958," Makoto continued. "As a means of controlling chaos, he instituted total government control of the media, the banks and all major industry. A lot of the personal freedoms of the citizens were suspended, until the country got back on its feet, and robotic video surveillance of the entire country was instituted."

"Let me guess," Cere ventured. "Once the country got back on its feet, he didn't give back any of the control he took?"

"Afraid not," Makoto nodded.

"That wasn't nice!" Palla-Palla proclaimed.

"How many times has this happened in history?" Jun marveled. "Don't people ever learn?"

"A lot of times people only think as far as their own personal comfort," Usa answered, "until it's too late."

"So why didn't the people just get together and toss this guy out?" Ves asked.

"Because he had control of the food supply, so if you didn't cooperate, you didn't eat," Makoto explained. "And he had control of the utilities and social services, so if you didn't obey, you went without water and light and energy. Or he could just take your home and evict you, because he controlled the courts. But that didn't stop some people. From about 2962 on, there were periodic eruptions of organized resistance. However, Almonte also controlled the police and the army, and had state-of-the-art surveillance electronics, something the people didn't have."

"Sort of like King Endymion?" Jun observed.

"Peripherally," Makoto replied uneasily. "But Almonte used it to protect his position instead of protect the people. So, whenever someone began to organize a resistance, they would disappear."

"Disappear?" Cere asked.

Makoto grew very serious. "They would be arrested, tried for treason or anarchy or some other charge and be put in prison. And from there, they would never be seen again."

"They'd kill them?" Jun gaped.

"Nobody knows," Makoto scowled. "Nobody survives from that time, that anyone knows of. None of the sixteen million prisoners it's estimated were jailed between 2962 and 2984 were ever seen again. All of the police and military involved in the government arrests and imprisonments during that period either died of natural causes, escaped into anonymity after the fall of 2984, or died either during the invasion or the coup that happened after. Most folks ;outside of Colombia don't know what happened to the prisoners. The Colombians don't like to talk much about it. In Colombia, they're just referred to as 'The Ghosts That Haunt Bogota'."

"Wow," Cere whispered. "I remember Mom and Dad talking about that once."

"Didn't King Endymion or Queen Serenity try to intervene and help those people?" Hotaru asked.

"Well," Makoto sighed, "we only learned about a lot of this stuff after the government fell. When General Almonte took over, he closed the country to everybody - - and I mean EVERYBODY. Endymion offered aid when the economy first collapsed, but Almonte refused it. They offered diplomatic relations several times after that, but Almonte wouldn't have any part of it - - not with us, not with anybody. Nobody here liked it, but Serenity didn't want to look like she was trying to impose her will on them. And at the time, relations weren't too good between Japan and China, so we had other things to worry about." Makoto frowned. "If we had known, I know Serenity would have stepped in. But General Almonte had a blackout over the whole country and the only time he ever seemed to contact the outside world was to buy weapons or upgrade electronics. So nobody knew."

"OK, how does the Princess figure into this?" Ves asked.

"The date doesn't suggest anything to you?" Makoto asked, her eyebrow raised. Ves returned only a blank look, eliciting a grin from Makoto. Then she sobered and glanced at Usa.

"That's the year I stole the silver crystal from Mom," Usa confessed. "That left her vulnerable to an attack from the Dark Moon forces. Mom was sent into a coma. Pop was thrown out of phase with this reality. And Prince Dimando started his takeover of the world." Usa looked down, scowling with guilt.

"2984?" Ves asked. "I think I vaguely remember that."

"Yeah, we felt that even in Brasilia," Cere recalled. "All those weird space ships in the sky. And I remember hiding in my bedroom from the black drones patrolling the street."

"Well, Dimando's drones landed in Colombia, too," Makoto informed them. "General Almonte and the military were all killed, except for the ones who may have fled. And the power vacuum that happened in Colombia after Dimando was defeated was filled by a dissident government who instituted the current . . ."

Suddenly, Makoto stopped and looked with concern at Palla-Palla. The girl was staring blankly at the screen behind the lectern. Alerted, the others turned to her as Makoto moved to the teen. She knelt down next to Palla-Palla and put her hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Palla-Palla, honey," Makoto cooed. "Are you OK?" The teen didn't respond. Makoto glanced at the screen, which displayed a picture of General Almonte flanked on a podium by several of his ranking military officers.

"Hey, Stupid," Ves asked, concerned. "What's up? You get a vision?"

Blankly Palla-Palla raised her right arm and pointed at the screen, specifically at the officer on General Almonte's far left.

"Who is he?" Ves asked Makoto. However, Palla-Palla answered.

"Jun-Jun's daddy," she mumbled distantly.

Continued in Chapter 2


	2. A Parent's Influence

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE

Chapter 2: "A Parent's Influence"

A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

In the palace infirmary, Ami Mizuno sat in her office going over the monthly health care statistics for the city. Since she was Chief Minister of Health for Crystal Tokyo, it was her duty to review all health statistics and plan for any apparent trends the statistics showed. It had been a quiet day so far and it gave Ami a chance to get ahead on the monthly requirement. Just then, the environmental control computer signaled.

"Haruka Tenoh wishes to see you," the computer announced. Ami looked up at the door over her glasses. This was unusual. Ami told the computer to let her in.

"Haruka, I don't see you up here often," Ami said as Haruka slid into the room. She instantly gauged the woman's demeanor. "Is something troubling you?"

"I just came to pick up Hotaru," Haruka shrugged. "She should be done with her intern work about now, shouldn't she?"

"Normally yes," Ami informed her. "But I'm afraid Hotaru didn't make it in today. From what the computer tells me, she's still in Classroom One with Usa and the others. Apparently class ran long today."

"Oh," Haruka grunted absently. "OK." Haruka started to leave, but stopped and turned back to Ami. "She's doing OK here, isn't she?"

"Why yes," Ami replied. "Hotaru is a very bright girl. Furthermore, she has an eagerness to heal and provide comfort. It will help her go a long way in her chosen profession. If it wasn't for her having to take time to bridge the technological gap between now and what she knew in the twentieth century, I might recommend she start pre-med studies two years early."

Haruka beamed with pride. The news actually thrilled her. Just through non-verbal cues, Ami could tell Haruka was going through a burst of paternal feelings as intense as if Hotaru were her own genetic off-spring.

"That's good," Haruka murmured. "She deserves all the success she can get."

"Is there something about Hotaru that's troubling you?" Ami asked again. "You seem worried about something."

"Nah, I'm," Haruka began. "It's . . ." The woman seemed torn for a moment. "Ami, what do you think about Yutaka? He's OK, isn't he?"

"The boy Hotaru is dating?" Ami asked. "He's a fine young man. Very dedicated and industrious, and very steady - - did you know he's started in at college-level engineering?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard," Haruka nodded. "You haven't heard of any trouble between them, have you?"

"Between Yutaka and Hotaru?" Ami responded. "No. They seem quite devoted to one another. Has something aroused your concern?"

But Haruka only nodded her head and exited the office with an absent-minded wave. Ami stared after her. Haruka's behavior was certainly saying volumes. Something had clearly happened involving Hotaru and Ami wished she knew what it was.

"Unfortunately, it's none of your business until the moment Hotaru or Haruka choose to involve you," Ami admonished herself. And she turned back to her statistics.

* * *

"Anything?" Cere asked, peering over Usa's shoulder.

"Nothing yet," Usa replied. "Boy, you were right, Aunt Makoto. They must have closed that country up tighter than a containment chamber. It's hard to find any information about Colombia for the Almonte years, other than after the fact news accounts."

Makoto sat and watched her six charges go about solving this puzzle on their own, marveling at how easily the girls seemed to work as a team. Ever since Palla-Palla's startling revelation that Jun-Jun's father was one of Colombian dictator General Almonte's inner circle, the group had set to work. Their growing friendship and easy work relationship reminded Makoto of her own youth and the set of friends for life she made.

Usa had first done a computer search on the picture they had. With a little virtual digging, she had come up with a record of the man. He was Major Antonio Angel Batista, born May 2, 2948, in La Paz. Once the record was found, she transferred it to Jun's work station and continued to search for information. Hotaru was also on her work station, doing a secondary search. The four Asteroids were huddled around Jun's station, reading what Usa had found. Naturally, Jun was more than a little stunned.

"No date of death is listed," Cere observed. "You suppose he's still alive?"

"I don't know," Jun whispered.

"Can you get anything else from this, Stupid?" Ves asked Palla-Palla. The girl stared at the picture and the biography on the computer screen.

"No, Ves-Ves," Palla-Palla shook her head. "Palla-Palla only can see that he's Jun-Jun's daddy. And she only saw that for a second."

"Are you reading this?" Jun asked. "This guy's a real piece of work."

"Joined the Colombian military in 2970," Cere repeated. "Quick rise through the ranks, shifting to the Colombian Security Force in 2975. Those are the guys that did the surveillance on the people and arrested dissidents, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Jun replied.

"It says he was suspected of being in charge of the prison system," Cere added.

"So he's the guy who made all of those prisoners disappear?" Ves asked. Cere gave her an impatient look, then nodded at Jun. "Hey, maybe Palla-Palla was wrong. It could be."

"No," Jun said, staring at the picture on her screen. "I've got his eyes."

Everyone looked sympathetically at Jun.

"His wife's name is - - was - - Carmelita," Cere read out loud. "Suppose that's your mother?"

"Stupid?" Ves asked Palla-Palla. The girl only shrugged helplessly.

"Wish we could find a picture," Jun said, though it didn't sound like she really meant it. "I wonder if he's alive."

"He's not," Hotaru announced.

"You find something?" Usa asked, looking up from her computer.

Hotaru sent the story to the other stations. It was an article in a Bogota news file from 2985. In the article, it said skeletal remains of two people were found by a private wharf near a villa in the deforested, developed section forty-five miles northwest of Leticia, on the shores of the Amazon River. Forensic genetics had identified the bodies as that of Antonio and Carmelita Batista. Forensics had determined that the Batistas had died of wounds from an explosion.

"Figure they were trying to escape Dimando's occupation drones?" Usa suggested.

"It's possible," Jun nodded. "Mi Padre told me he found me floating on the hull of a capsized boat, and that the boat looked like it had been wrecked. Maybe an energy beam hit it and blew it up."

"There's more," Hotaru said. "Authorities believe that the Batistas were traveling with their daughter, Junelle, at the time." She glanced over at Jun. "But no trace of the girl has been found."

"Wow," Cere murmured. "It fits. Even the name fits. Palla-Palla probably picked up on that when she named you and didn't realize it."

"I don't know," Usa spoke up. "The Amazon is an awful long river. And the distance between southern Colombia and the Atlantic mouth of the Amazon is a long way for somebody to float on the hull of a capsized boat. Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"No way," Ves scowled.

"Well, there's one sure way to find out," Makoto said suddenly. "We find out if Colombia still has genetic records on this Major Batista and do a genetics comparison with Jun."

"Can we do that?" gasped Ves.

"It shouldn't be a problem for Ami," shrugged Makoto. "I'd think the biggest hurdle will be getting clearance from the Colombian government. I can go talk to King Endymion about it. He could make the request himself - - give it some royal weight, you know."

"If you need any help convincing him, let me know," volunteered Usa. "I'll give him 'the eyes'." Hotaru struggled to keep from laughing.

"Uh," Makoto replied cautiously. "Let's keep that in reserve - - OK?"

* * *

Haruka sat in her favorite chair in the living room of their quarters. Hotaru had finally come home from school, literally bursting with the news of their discovery concerning Jun. The teen chattered about it all through dinner, with Haruka and Michiru listening intently. Nothing about the previous night came up and Haruka didn't bring it up. Something about Hotaru's demeanor last night told her that the girl didn't want to talk about it. Haruka wanted to respect that. She knew from personal experience that there were aspects of your life that you didn't feel comfortable sharing with others - - particularly parents or parent figures. However it was some of those aspects of her own life that made Haruka want to ask. Something had happened the previous night. If it was something bad, she wanted to know. She wanted to make it right. She didn't want Hotaru to carry burdens she didn't have to carry, burdens like Haruka had carried for years.

Suddenly a pair of forearms closed over her collarbone. A soft cheek pressed up against hers. A familiar scent entered Haruka's nostrils.

"You're deep in thought," Michiru whispered into Haruka's ear.

"That obvious?" Haruka asked.

"Uh huh," Michiru replied. "Plus I smelled something burning."

"You're asking for a swift kiss in the mouth," Haruka muttered. Michiru smothered a laugh.

"So what's got you worried?" Michiru asked. She shifted around and sat on the arm of the chair, leaning against Haruka with her arms draped around the woman's neck. Haruka glanced around conspiratorially.

"Where's Firefly?" she asked.

"Well, Yutaka is busy studying, so she's in her room," Michiru told her, "probably gossiping the night away with Usa. Is it Hotaru you're worried about?"

"Something happened last night," Haruka informed her. "I could tell when she came home. She was real nervous and edgy, and not just because she was late getting home. Then there's the fact that she was late getting home. Something happened and she doesn't want to tell me."

"You think it's something bad?" Michiru asked, her concern controlled like so much of Michiru's emotions were.

"I don't know," Haruka confessed. "It might be. Or it might be something as simple as she and Yutaka finally had sex together."

"I can see why she'd be afraid to tell you that," Michiru chuckled. "She's probably worried you'd rip poor Yutaka's head off."

"I'm not that bad," scowled Haruka.

"Oh no? Remember back in the twenty-first century when Junko fell in love?"

"Which time?" Haruka joked.

"The time she got married," Michiru grinned. "That poor boy was terrified of you. He thought you were going to shoot him."

"Well, he wasn't exactly the brightest person I ever met. Junko could have done a lot better," Haruka argued.

"But she loved him, and that's all that mattered," Michiru countered. "And Hotaru loves Yutaka. And you have to accept that."

"I do," Haruka sighed. "And I knew she was going to give in to her feelings with that boy sooner or later. It was bound to happen." Haruka paused a moment. "I wish she had waited until they were married for about five years or so - - but I don't suppose that's realistic, huh? After all, it's not like we waited until we were twenty-one."

"That's for sure," Michiru smiled, basking momentarily in the memory.

"I'm just worried that it's something worse," Haruka continued. "What if he hurt her and she's protecting him? What if she forgot her inoculation and she's pregnant? What if she caught some disease . . .?"

"What if you just ask her?" Michiru suggested.

"What if she tells me to mind my own business?" Haruka countered. "What if she doesn't say anything, or tells me some lie and it drives a wedge between us? I don't want to be one of those parents who have to run every aspect of their kids' lives and drive the kid crazy."

"Haruka, you're not your mother," Michiru told her. "If you want, I'll ask her."

"And make you the bad guy?" Haruka asked. Then she grasped her hair and tugged at it angrily. "Ah, I'm making myself a wreck about this!"

"Why don't you go down to the indoor track and have a run," suggested Michiru. "You've always thought best when you run."

"Yeah," Haruka nodded. Then she sprang up out of the chair. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Thanks," and she quickly kissed Michiru. "I'll be back in an hour!" Haruka said as she buzzed out the door. Michiru sat on the arm of the chair, lovingly staring after Haruka with a fond smile on her face.

* * *

In the garden of the crystal palace, Queen Serenity walked along the rows of blooming floral wonderment. Holding her hand was Palla-Palla. Trailing them was Rei Hino. All three women took a deep breath as the late dusk breeze swooped in and distributed the scents of the garden's abundance.

"The flowers smell nice, don't they Usagi-Mama?" Palla-Palla beamed.

"Yes they do," Serenity smiled back. "Oh, I can remember when I was your age and my mother tried to get me interested in gardening."

"Did your mommy teach you how to make pretty flowers grow?"

"She tried," Serenity recalled ruefully. "But I was too much of a silly little girl to listen."

"What would be your excuse today?" Rei smirked.

"Nobody asked you, Rei Hino!" Serenity huffed indignantly. Calming, she turned back to Palla-Palla. "Looking back, I really wish I'd listened. But at the time, all I cared about was boys, clothes, dreams and boys."

"You said boys twice," Palla-Palla corrected her.

"I liked boys," Serenity grinned. "One boy in particular."

"Cere-Cere is very good at making pretty flowers grow. Maybe she could teach you."

"That's very generous, Palla-Palla," Serenity said gently, bending down to look at a bush of roses. "And I know Cere is much better at it than I am. But I've got a system now. Oh look, the leaves on this bush are beginning to discolor."

Rei and Palla-Palla watched the queen's hands begin to glow silver. She held her hands against the rose bush for a few seconds. When she took them away, the bush seemed to look healthier.

"That's how Cere-Cere does it!" Palla-Palla claimed.

"I don't think so," Serenity smiled. "She actually touches the souls of the plants. I just let nature takes its course and nudge it a little when necessary."

"You could accomplish the same with some water and fertilizer," Rei observed.

"But you get dirty and sweaty that way," Serenity countered. "That's no fun."

"If my grandfather heard you say that, I'm not sure if he'd fall over laughing or smack you in the back of the head," Rei scowled. Before an argument could erupt, the queen's PDA signaled.

"Oh, it's time for the reception," sighed Serenity. "I have to get back. Did you want to come back in, or did you want to stay out here a little longer, Palla-Palla?"

"Palla-Palla will stay here some more, Usagi-Mama," the teen answered.

Serenity nodded. "Come on, Rei. Baby-sitting chore is over."

"Protecting you is NOT baby-sitting," fumed Rei as they walked off. "Although in your case, I suppose the shoe does fit."

Alone, Palla-Palla wandered around the garden. The garden was nice and peaceful. She tried to get Jun to come with her, but the girl declined. Palla-Palla felt bad for her adoptive sister. She was still reeling from the revelation of who her father might actually be.

"Maybe Palla-Palla should pick some pretty flowers so Jun-Jun will cheer up," the teen mused out loud. "But Palla-Palla doesn't think the flowers would like that. Palla-Palla doesn't want to get them mad at her." She looked up at the stars peeking out in the approaching night. "Palla-Palla wishes Jun-Jun would be happy."

"And who would you be talking to, my lady?"

Palla-Palla turned and found a young man behind her. She'd never seen him before and his appearance wasn't typical of thirtieth century Crystal Tokyo. He was no taller than she was, with large silver eyes and a round face that smiled easily. Thick tousled blonde hair was thatched atop his head randomly, as if he'd never met a comb. His body was squat, but lean, and he was dressed in an open brown shirt and black pants that looked to be made of actual natural fibers rather than the synthetics in common use.

"Herself," Palla-Palla answered dutifully. "Palla-Palla does that sometimes. Cere-Cere makes fun of her sometimes for doing it."

"And why would she do that?" he asked light-heartedly. "It's only when you begin to answer yourself that you should worry." Boldly he took Palla-Palla's hand in his. "Out of curiosity, what do you call yourself when you're talking to yourself?"

"Palla-Palla," she replied with confusion. "That's Palla-Palla's name."

"So lovely, you were named twice," he grinned. "My name is Grindlewyn, my lady Palla-Palla. It is my immense pleasure to meet you."

And he bowed to the level of her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Why did you do that?" Palla-Palla asked, still confused.

"It was merely a way to express my gratitude for your favor, my lady Palla-Palla," the youth replied, startled by her reaction. "Please do not take offense."

"All right," Palla-Palla nodded earnestly. She grabbed his hand, bowed down and kissed it. "Palla-Palla is very happy to meet you, Mister Grindlewyn-Sir."

His confusion melted into amusement. "Never have I met someone as unique as you," he stated. "My lady Palla-Palla, please say that I may see you again. You would make me so very happy."

"If you want," Palla-Palla nodded tentatively. "Palla-Palla won't mind."

"Ah, you've blessed me, my lady! Thank you!" and he kissed her hand once more.

"You talk funny," Palla-Palla giggled.

"Hey, Stupid!" she heard Ves call out and turned to the sound. "You out here?"

"Yes, Ves-Ves!" Palla-Palla waved. "Palla-Palla is out here in the garden! Come meet her new friend!" She turned back and found Grindlewyn was gone.

"What friend?" Ves asked upon arriving. They both looked around, but found nothing besides rows of flowers.

"He was here," Palla-Palla said. "Mister Grindlewyn-Sir? Where did you go?"

Continued in Chapter 3


	3. Family Tree

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE

Chapter 3: "Family Tree"

A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

In her room, Usa worked on her computer, searching through available databases for any information about Major Antonio Batista or Colombia circa 2984. Minimized in the lower right hand corner of the screen was a real time picture of Helios, transmitted from his quarters. On her left, by the keypad, was a cup filled with a delicious mixture of tropical juices that she currently adored, topped with a straw. Diana looked over at her as she passed from the closet to the door, then shook her head and exited quietly.

"A most unusual story, Maiden," Helios said over the real time stream. "If there is anything I may do to assist you, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Well, I would like you to come over here and nibble on my neck," Usa commented as she searched. "But Pop would go nuclear if I did that. Besides, you'd just say 'Maiden, I do not think that would be proper behavior and I have promised my good behavior to your father'."

"If you are attempting to mimic me," Helios said with a wry smile, "your voice must assume a softer tone and a slightly lower timber." Usa smirked saucily.

"I'm not getting anywhere with this," the teen suddenly scowled. "There's not even aerial satellite pictures of the country from that era, Helios. Would you believe they actually threw up a plasma energy shield over the country to block out GPS data?"

"This may seem a more cynical statement than it is meant to be," Helios replied, "but few things are capable of surprising me concerning human behavior. If what they do during their waking hours shocks you, you should see what they dream."

"I bet," Usa answered. "There's not a whole lot from after the revolution, either. From what I read, the whole country seems to have a giant mad-on for everyone else for letting General Almonte do this for as long as he did." She stopped and turned to the picture of Helios. "You don't know anything about this Major Batista from his dreams, do you? Or can you remember an individual person's dreams?"

"I can, Maiden," Helios told her. "And each dream is also recorded by Ravonna back on Elysian. But I fear I cannot divulge any information such as that. The dreams of a person are personal and a sacred trust between that person and a dream guardian."

"Not even for me?" Usa begged. Helios shook his head. "I'll let you kiss me."

"Maiden, behave," Helios responded. "After all, how would you feel if I revealed one of your dreams to another - - say, the one when you were twelve, the night after we first met, when you . . ."

"OK, OK!" Usa gasped. Then she smirked. "That was a hot one. I . . ."

"King Endymion desires entry," announced the environmental control computer.

"Man, how does he always know when you're pushing my buttons!" grumbled Usa. After passing him in, her father entered and stopped just inside the door.

"Still at work on this mystery?" he asked.

"Yeah, Pop. There's got to be something out there besides what we've found," Usa answered.

Endymion leaned against the wall with a growing sense of pride as his daughter searched.

"This is really important to you, isn't it?" he asked.

"Well yeah! Jun has wondered who her parents are for, like, forever! And she's my friend, and my senshi besides. Why wouldn't it be important?"

When her father didn't respond immediately, the teen stopped and looked back at him. She found Endymion staring wistfully at her.

"Pop, you're not going to get sloppy on me, are you?" Usa sighed.

"No," he chuckled. "That's your mother's department. And yes, family and belonging is important. What you're doing for Jun-Jun is very nice. I hope you can help her find her answers."

"Me, too," Usa nodded.

"I've put in a formal request to the current Colombian government for the genetic history of Major Batista and Mrs. Batista, if they have it," Endymion informed her. "I can't guarantee any results. Nobody but the Colombians know what kind of records General Almonte kept, if any, and if they survived the Dark Moon attacks. And even if they did, I can't guarantee they'll be willing to share them with us."

"Why not?" Usa asked indignantly.

"The current Colombian government doesn't have strong relations with many other countries," explained Endymion, "particularly Japan. Given your mother's history of intervening with oppressive governments in the past, the Colombians are still somewhat miffed by her - - our - - failure to do so against General Almonte. They very well may refuse our request on that basis, and it would be their right to do so."

Usa nodded thoughtfully. "Well I hope they don't. But if they do, we'll just have to find another way to get to the truth."

The girl turned back to her computer and resumed working. Endymion lingered for a moment, staring at his nearly grown daughter and wondered whatever happened to the pink-haired little tot he used to carry on his shoulders.

The next morning had been a typical morning for Endymion. He'd had a few fleeting moments with his ever-busy daughter before she rushed off to join her friends in the palace cafeteria. Twice he'd tried to rouse his wife, but the sun wasn't yet warm in the sky so it proved to be an impossible task. When morning business of state finally called him away, his wife was twisted in their sheets, one arm dangling over the side of the bed and a wet spot forming on the sheet under her mouth.

It was a good thing he loved her. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to stand living with her.

Once the morning essential business was taken care of, Endymion sat at his desk while his computer system put in a call to Ramon Manuel Gomez, Chief Minister of Government for the Democratic Republic of Colombia. It wasn't a call he relished making. Ramon Gomez had been a resistance fighter in the underground against General Almonte. When Almonte was killed, he and his band fought a guerilla holding action against the drones from the Dark Moon. When they left, it was Gomez and his comrades who filled the vacuum of power left behind. For thirteen years, since 2984, Colombia had been a constitutional democracy with Gomez as its chief executive. From the start, the resistance fighters turned government officials had worked hard to become the anti-Almonte. In many ways they'd succeeded.

But Endymion knew from personal experience with Chief Minister Gomez that outsiders weren't trusted and weren't welcome, least of all Japanese outsiders. Gomez blamed them for letting Almonte stay in power for as long as he did. He blamed them for allowing Almonte, even through ignorance, to commit the atrocities he did. He even blamed the royal family of Japan for bringing the oppression of the Dark Moon down on everybody. And, to an extent, he was right. As such, Endymion didn't hold out much hope for this call. But his daughter was depending on him for this, and he'd much rather face Ramon Gomez's bitterness again than disappoint her.

"King Endymion," Ramon Gomez said with unconcealed distaste as his image appeared on the computer screen. He was a man in his fifties, but someone who looked much older. His face was lined and weathered, his hair was gray and there was an ugly scar along the side of his neck below the carotid artery. He was the survivor of many years of fear, deprivation and combat, and his face showed every moment of it.

"It was good of you to speak to me, Chief Minister Gomez," Endymion replied.

"Normally I wouldn't have bothered," Gomez continued. "But I read your request on my screen and I have to admit I was intrigued. I wasn't aware there were any Colombian nationals living in Japan. I didn't think any of us qualified for your little island Shangri-La."

"We only recently became aware of her possible origin," Endymion explained, ignoring the slightly veiled shot. "Everyone, including the girl, were under the assumption that she was a Brasilian national. A genetics comparison would clear the question up, if you still have the records and are willing to provide us with copies."

"Brasilia," Gomez scowled. Brasilia wasn't on the Chief Minister's list of favorite nations either. "Very well. Who am I to possibly deprive a Colombian of her true heritage? Our genetics files are intact and quite thorough. The pig Almonte was very meticulous about such things. What records were you needing?"

"He was a prominent government official during the Almonte regime," Endymion answered. "Major Antonio Angel Batista."

"Batista!" gasped Gomez. His expression was a swirl of shock and outrage. "How old is this Brasilian?"

"Seventeen," Endymion responded.

"And it's a girl, you say?"

"Yes."

"She's claiming to be Junelle Batista?" Gomez demanded.

"She isn't claiming anything, Chief Minister," Endymion said, trying to regain control of the conversation. "She has no memories of her original parents. The tentative identification was made by a third party. In order to confirm the identification, we hoped to use your genetic . . ."

"Yes, yes, of course," Gomez replied, his mind whirling. "I'll have them to your office within the hour." Gomez was still looking at his screen, but he seemed to be dividing his attention between the screen and whatever he was thinking.

"Thank you, Chief Minister," Endymion told him. "I appreciate your cooperation."

"King Endymion," Gomez added suddenly. "Please inform me of the results of the identification."

The communication ended. Endymion sat back in his chair and pondered the reaction Gomez had to the request. Of course the name Batista undoubtedly brought back bad memories of bad times. It would explain Gomez's reaction. But was it the only thing that would explain it?

* * *

At lunch break from classes, the girls were in the cafeteria eating shrimp and rice. Everyone could see that Jun was still preoccupied with their discovery.

"Anybody want to hit the Promenade tonight?" Usa ventured. "Aunt Minako has been giving me disguise tips, so maybe we won't get overrun by fans like the other times."

"I can't," Hotaru said. "I've got intern study tonight. I can't even go out with Yutaka between that and homework."

"Well, we'll miss you," Cere offered. "I think we ought to do it."

"Yeah, we could go magno-skating," Ves began.

"NO MAGNO-SKATING!" Cere barked.

"Man, you never want to do anything that's fun," Ves grumbled.

"I'm not sure I'd be very good company," Jun sighed.

"Dummy, that's why we're doing it!" Cere scowled. "We're trying to get your mind off of - - of who your father might be."

Just then, Palla-Palla got up and turned for the door.

"Where are you going?" Ves asked.

"Palla-Palla," she began haltingly, "has to do something." And she headed for the door.

Out in the corridor, Palla-Palla turned and headed very deliberately for the end. Turning right, she went to the entrance to one of the observation balconies that decorated the walls of the crystal palace. Venturing onto it, she found Grindlewyn sitting on the wall of the balcony waiting for her.

"You called to Palla-Palla," she said, walking up to the squat youth. "Palla-Palla heard you in her head."

"Ay," he nodded. "And you heard me. It can only mean that we must be fated by the gods to be together, forever and ever."

"No," Palla-Palla replied. "It's because Palla-Palla can hear people's thoughts with her head. Sensei calls it," and Palla-Palla stopped and thought for a moment, "something."

It wasn't the response the youth was expecting, but he recovered. "That's hardly a romantic way of thinking, my lady Palla-Palla."

"What does that mean?" Palla-Palla asked.

"You're toying with me," Grindlewyn said, his face falling with his spirits.

"No she's not! Honest!" Palla-Palla assured him. "Palla-Palla doesn't even know how to do that!"

Grindlewyn smothered a grin. "Then I must be going about this quite poorly." He grasped her hand in his and brought it up to his chest. "My lady, my beautiful Palla-Palla - - do you feel nothing at this moment?"

"Yes, she does," Palla-Palla said. "She feels your hands."

Grindlewyn bowed his head in momentary frustration, then kissed her hand once again.

"Oh, if only I could make you understand without making myself into a complete fool," he lamented. And out of nowhere a hand clamped onto his wrist and wrenched him away from the teen.

"OK, who the HELL are you and what the HELL do you think you're doing?" demanded Ves.

"Ah, I must be blinded by my passion to let the likes of you sneak up on me," smirked Grindlewyn.

"I asked you a question," snarled Ves. Palla-Palla didn't have to be telepathic to know Ves was angry.

"Yes, I believe you did," Grindlewyn replied confidently. "But I was talking to the lady, not you."

The punch lashed out with the speed of a striking cobra. Palla-Palla didn't even see it until it had already connected. But it didn't connect with Grindlewyn. It connected with a few sparkling particles that were left in the youth's wake, for Grindlewyn was gone. Ves pivoted, looking for him, and found him standing calmly behind her.

"He's magic!" gasped Palla-Palla.

"He's toast!" snapped Ves. She lunged for him again, but once more struck only dust and air. A quick search found him perched atop the bannister around the balcony.

"You are trash, madam," Grindlewyn said with a disdainful look. "I only tolerate you because of your relationship to the lady Palla-Palla. Do not goad me." Turning gracefully, he bowed to Palla-Palla. "Clearly the situation has been doused of all kind feelings, so I shall depart again. I will call upon you later. Perhaps then I can convey to you the depths of my feelings for you in a manner than you may understand. Until then."

And he disappeared.

"Who was that?" Ves asked rhetorically.

"Mister Grindlewyn-Sir," Palla-Palla reported dutifully.

* * *

At the palace infirmary, Hotaru walked in with a dreamy look on her face. She was mentally replaying the evening she spent with Yutaka night before last. It was a memory loop she had been replaying over and over since night before last. Recalling the feel of Yutaka's masculine frame on top of her gave her a momentary flushed sensation. Her body seemed to react on reflex from certain memories. It gave her a giddy feeling. But it also intensified the longing she had to try to recreate that time with Yutaka.

"Well, you certainly seem upbeat," Ami remarked, spotting the girl as she looked up from a virtual display. The doctor was consulting on a patient in a hospital in another part of Japan, the diagnostic display transmitted by computer link and holographically projected.

Hotaru realized for the first time that Ami was talking to her and flushed with chagrin. Ami smiled sympathetically. Hotaru's reactions always reminded the doctor of her own reactions when she was Hotaru's age. Ami finished her consultation and walked over to her protege.

"It seems as if life has been treating you well," Ami said. Hotaru looked down modestly, but finally nodded. "Is school finally becoming easier?"

"A little," Hotaru grimaced. "I think I'm beginning to catch on to the science part."

"Well, basic bio-chemistry hasn't changed all that much since your birth time," Ami told her. "We just know more now, so there's more to learn. But if it isn't your school work, it must be your social life that's improved."

Hotaru looked down again shyly.

"Things are going well with Yutaka?" Ami probed.

Hotaru didn't reply, but the grin that grew on her tiny mouth spoke volumes.

"That's nice to hear," Ami said. "I've always felt that you two make a wonderful couple. I won't pry any further. Forgive me for being this much of a busybody. Go ahead and get changed, and you can begin your shift."

Hotaru nodded and headed off to the changing room. As she passed a table though, her hip brushed against a hand-held probe and knocked the device off. Reflexively, the teen reached to catch it and missed. However, the device suddenly stopped in mid-air. It hovered for a second, then leaped back up into Hotaru's hand.

"Hotaru!" Ami gasped with surprise. "Did you do that?"

"I-I don't know," Hotaru replied, in shock. "I've been practicing levitating objects in my PKE class, but it's never been this easy before. Usually I have to strain to move something. But I saw the probe falling and I went to grab it. My hand missed - - but I think my mind reached out and caught it."

"So you definitely felt something?" Ami asked.

"I don't know," Hotaru frowned. "I think so. But it's hard to tell. The sensation was so faint. I sort of did it without thinking about it. Sensei is always telling me to relax and let the power flow from me instead of trying so hard." She opened her hand and held out the probe. "Let me try something."

Calmly Hotaru looked at the probe in her hand. After a few seconds, it seemed to wobble, then lifted off of her palm and slowly drifted across open space to the table. Rather than land gently, though, the device clattered to a stop on the table top.

"Well that wasn't a very gentle landing," scowled Hotaru.

"Still, it was a vast improvement over what you've been able to do," Ami countered. "Perhaps all it took was some inner peace and contentment on your part to let your natural power begin to bloom. Fear and stress can be psychological barriers to achievement."

"You think so?" Hotaru asked.

"It's been known to occur," Ami nodded. "You might want to bring this up with your PKE teacher. As for now, you have other duties to attend to."

Hotaru nodded and scurried off to the changing room. Ami watched her go, proud that she was taking another step and curious as to how far her potential extended.

Continued in Chapter 4


	4. A Father's Love

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE  
Chapter 4: "A Father's Love"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

"Who was he?" demanded Ves as she and Palla-Palla returned to class.

"Mister Grindlewyn-Sir," Palla-Palla told her innocently.

"You said that! Where did you meet him?"

"In Queen Serenity-Ma'am's garden."

"What's he want?"

Palla-Palla frowned. "Palla-Palla isn't sure. She thinks he wants to be friends, but she doesn't understand a lot of what he says."

"I'll just bet he wants to be friends," rumbled Ves.

"Who wants to be friends?" Cere asked. She and the other students, save for Hotaru, were returning to Classroom One also.

"Some guy was trying to make a pass at Palla-Palla," Ves replied.

"Are we going to need a medical team for him?" Cere asked, half-humorously.

"Where was this?" Jun inquired.

"Over on the balcony on the south wall," Ves reported.

"Hey, Usa, can you call up the security opticals for that area? I want to get a look at him!" Cere urged.

When Makoto walked back into the class, she found everyone huddled around Usa as she worked furiously at her computer station. The woman walked over.

"You kids still trying to find out about Major Batista?" she asked. Then she got a look at the screen. "Who's that? Say, isn't that a security optical?"

"Maybe," Usa offered meekly.

"What am I going to do with you?" Makoto sighed.

"Kino-Sensei, it's Palla-Palla's new boyfriend!" chuckled Cere. Makoto looked again.

"I don't recognize him as anybody in the palace," Makoto murmured as she studied the picture. "And look at that odd style of dress." She turned to Palla-Palla. "What do you know about this boy?"

"Not a lot," Palla-Palla explained. "Palla-Palla didn't even know he was her boyfriend. His name is Mister Grindlewyn-Sir. And he likes to kiss Palla-Palla on the hand."

"He WHAT?" barked Ves.

"Sounds like he's got the hots for her," Cere surmised.

"He just wants to get you in the sack, Stupid," Ves told her. "I've warned you about guys like him!"

"Hey!" Usa exclaimed. "Everybody!" When everyone's attention returned to the screen, Usa rewound the recording and played the end again.

"How did he disappear like that?" wondered Jun.

"Yeah, he did that at the end," Ves muttered.

"And you're JUST NOW TELLING US THIS?" Jun gasped.

"Get off my back!" Ves retorted.

"I'm contacting palace security about this," Makoto said, rushing up to her lectern. "Hopefully they're already on top of it."

"You suppose it's some sort of teleporter?" Usa asked.

"I thought human teleportation was technically impossible," Jun replied. "Maybe it's an alien."

"Well whatever he is," Ves began, pointing directly at Palla-Palla, "YOU stay away from him. Got it?"

"Yes, Ves-Ves. Palla-Palla understands," the teen said, though she actually didn't.

* * *

The four Asteroid Senshi walked down the corridor of the palace, headed for the lift to the third level. Class was over for the day, but their day wasn't over. The group had just enough time to stash their school equipment in their quarters before the communication came. As the quartet moved through the corridor, palace workers glanced in their direction. They were in their civilian identities, but all four teens were known to the people who worked or resided in the palace.

They were familiar sights and dressed in familiar fashion. Ves was in her usual uniform of a casual shirt, with tight protective pants and boots used by shuttle pilots. Cere had on a stylish and revealing gold halter that bared her midriff and gold pants that flared at the cuff over high heeled black shoes. Palla-Palla was dressed in a pinafore-type dress that was a little juvenile for her age, but it was a style the teen loved to wear. Only Jun was dressed formally, in a tight charcoal skirt, low heels and a pale green blouse with puffed sleeves.

"Nervous?" Cere asked. It was obvious Jun was. It was fairly obvious they all were, but Jun most of all. When she had received the invitation to Ami Mizuno's office in the infirmary, she'd just about jumped out of her skin. They all knew why the invitation had been made.

"I suppose," Jun replied quietly. Cere and Ves both looked her way. Jun was as anxious as any time they could recall seeing her.

"But Jun-Jun," Palla-Palla said suddenly. "Palla-Palla thought you wanted to know who your Mommy and Daddy were." Everyone looked at the innocent young teen, Cere glaring impatiently. "Sorry. Palla-Palla tried to keep your thoughts out of her head, but they were too strong for her."

"She right?" Ves demanded.

"Not," Jun whispered, "entirely."

"Hey, aren't you the one who always said she didn't care why, what or how, she just wanted to know who?" Ves rumbled.

"Yeah," Jun sighed. "But I guess that was before. Have you been reading about this Major Batista?"

"Reading isn't exactly my favorite past time," Ves replied.

"This man helped to kill close to six million people," Jun explained. "His own countrymen! That's not exactly what I was expecting when I wanted to find my parents!"

"Hey, my father was a drunk and a small-time hood," Ves shot back. "He beat me and he beat my Mom. And he finally killed her in a drunken rage. I don't think he ever won father of the year."

"Yes, and Palla-Palla's Daddy made her stupid and tried to kill her when she wouldn't help him do bad," Palla-Palla chimed in.

"And remember the stories about Hotaru's real Dad?" Cere added. "He would have let those aliens destroy the whole world. We can't pick our parents, Jun. All we can do is be the best person we can be, sometimes because of them and sometimes in spite of them."

The four continued down the hall.

"And maybe he's got an Army pension you can inherit," Ves quipped. Jun snorted rudely trying to stifle the laugh. Cere smiled in spite of herself. Ves grew a sly grin. Palla-Palla didn't understand the reference, but everybody else enjoyed it, so she smiled as well.

Entering the infirmary, the girls found Usa and Hotaru waiting for them. Hotaru was in her anti-contamination suit, so she was clearly working at her pre-med work-study job. They walked over as the four entered.

"You ready to do this?" Usa asked eagerly. Once more, the four orphans were amazed that the Princess seemed to care this much about something that only had a peripheral connection to her.

Jun expelled a shuddering breath. "I suppose so."

"Don't be nervous," Usa told her encouragingly. "You're finally going to get an answer to something you've been wondering about for thirteen years!"

"Yeah, but am I going to like the answer?" Jun shrugged.

"The truth is nothing to be afraid of," Usa said. "It's what you do with that truth that shows your strength of character." Usa leaned back proudly. "Etchebarren, the 22nd century philosopher said that."

"I guess that month of cramming in her room did something for her," Ves commented to Cere.

"Yeah, it made her pedantic and boring," Cere smirked. Usa wrinkled her nose at the girl.

"Still, they are important thoughts to help govern your life by," Ami said as she emerged from her office. Following her were King Endymion and Queen Serenity. "Very good, Usa. I'm glad you've investigated such subjects."

"You two are here, too?" Jun gasped.

"Well of course! I want to know how it comes out!" Serenity squealed, almost the way Palla-Palla did when she watched adventure movies with Ves.

"Well," Jun began, overwhelmed by the show of concern for her, "thank you. Thank you all for your efforts on my behalf."

"If we're ready to begin," Ami politely nudged. "Take a seat in that sensory chair, please Jun." As Jun sat down, Ami took a small hand-held device and gestured to Hotaru. "Hotaru, would you like to take the sample?"

"I," Hotaru gasped nervously, "I've never done it before, Mizuno-Sensei."

"There's a first time for everything," Ami smiled. "Go ahead. You know how to do it."

With Usa silently encouraging her, Hotaru took the sensor device and began calibrating it. When she was finished, she turned to Jun, trying to suppress her wildly beating heart beneath an aura of professionalism. She leaned in to her first patient.

"Please stick out your finger," Hotaru requested. Jun extended the index finger of her right hand. They both noticed the hand was trembling slightly. "Don't worry. You'll barely feel it."

Hotaru pressed the probe end of the device against Jun's finger. The device held there for several seconds as LCD readings flashed across the face of the device. When an indicator light went on, Hotaru pulled the device away. She turned and tremulously handed the device to Ami.

"Expertly done, Hotaru," Ami nodded. Hotaru's tiny chest swelled with pride. "I don't think this should be for public consumption, so if you would all like to accompany me back to my office, we'll run the genetic comparison test."

Once inside Ami's office, the group gathered around her computer as she sat at her desk. Ami engaged a button on the device and it began communicating its data to Ami's desk computer. After the device was done transmitting, the computer set to work. Three seconds later, a display was on the screen. Ami nodded.

"I'm a little rusty on my genetics, Ami," Endymion spoke up.

"The comparison test indicates a ninety-seven percent positive," Ami replied.

"So what does that mean?" Serenity asked.

"It means," and Ami turned directly to Jun, "that Major Batista was your father - - statistically speaking."

Jun seemed to reel for a moment.

"Jun, you going to be OK?" Usa asked.

"Yeah," Jun nodded distantly. "I guess I'm still not too sure how I should feel about this."

"It gives you a past," Hotaru spoke up. "You know your roots now. You know where you're from. It may not be something you're proud of, but it gives you a base to grow from." Hotaru noticed for the first time that everybody was looking at her. "Sorry," she said, shrinking into herself.

"Have you been reading my philosophy files?" Usa asked jokingly, draping her arm around her friend. It eased her discomfort some.

"Interesting," Ami whispered reflexively. Everybody turned to her.

"What?" Jun asked. "Did you find something else?"

"The Colombian government sent over the genetic files for Major Batista's wife as well," Ami explained. "I assume they didn't know how far we wished to take this test. Simply out of curiosity, I ran the test with Carmelita Batista as well." Ami looked up at Jun. "She isn't your genetic mother."

* * *

The pneumatic hiss of the front door alerted Haruka that someone had entered. She looked up from a holographic diorama of the courtroom scene from "The Trial Of Adam Link" that she'd purchased and saw Hotaru speed through the living room toward her bedroom.

"Hey, Firefly," Haruka said to the hurrying figure.

"Hi, Papa," Hotaru said in passing.

"You're just in time for dinner," Michiru said, peeking out of the kitchen.

"I can't, Mama," Hotaru sighed dramatically. "I've only got two hours to do my homework before Yutaka comes. He's picking me up at nine and I have to be done by then!"

"How about I bring a tray in?" Michiru offered. "You can munch on what you want while you study."

Hotaru thought a moment. "That sounds good," she nodded and was sealed up in her room before either of her foster parents could say another word.

"My, but she's leading such a rich, full life these days," Michiru quipped.

"Did she say anything about a date to you?" Haruka asked.

"She mentioned something this morning on her way to breakfast with her friends," Michiru replied. "You were out running at the time."

"Where are they going so late?" Haruka persisted.

"Nine o'clock isn't 'late'," Michiru argued.

"I want to know when to expect her back," Haruka maintained.

"Afraid they're going to run off and elope?" teased Michiru.

"Among other things," Haruka muttered and headed for Hotaru's bedroom door.

"Hopeless," Michiru sighed and rolled her eyes.

Hotaru blew at her bangs with frustration after the environmental computer announced Haruka's presence. Sighing, she passed her through.

"So where are you and 'that boy' headed?" Haruka asked.

"Papa!" fumed Hotaru. "His name is Yutaka!"

"Oh yeah," smirked Haruka. "So, anyplace special?"

"Well, with all of our school work, we really don't have time to go anyplace in particular," Hotaru explained. "So we were just going to sit in the garden for an hour or two," and Hotaru glanced sideways at her papa, "or three."

"Sounds kind of dull."

"It depends on who you do it with," Hotaru replied, smiling that dreamy smile again.

Haruka stared at Hotaru for a few moments. After a while, Hotaru sensed her guardian staring and became more and more uneasy. It was as if Haruka were reading every thought she had. However Hotaru kept perfectly still, afraid any movement would make her seem even more guilty.

"So," Haruka said finally, "everything OK?"

"Yes," Hotaru replied, hoping she sounded convincing.

"No problems with school, or maybe work-study?"

"No," Hotaru replied. "Jun's test came back. That Colombian officer was her father."

"Hmm. That must have rocked her."

"I don't think it was the news she was hoping for," Hotaru stated.

"Yeah," Haruka agreed. "So you're sure everything's OK with you?"

"Yes, Papa," Hotaru said uncomfortably. "Papa, I really have to get started on this."

"Yeah, right. OK," Haruka nodded and eased out the door.

Outside, she leaned against the door and stared at nothing. Hotaru was hiding something from her. It was even more evident now than before.

* * *

With a start, Palla-Palla's eyes opened. She looked around her darkened room. It was calm and peaceful. Nothing was present save for her collection of dolls that filled all the shelves and most of the free space in her cabinets. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the teen swung her legs over the side of the bed and clutched her teddy bear to her cheek.

"Time?" she asked.

"The time is eleven twelve p.m.," responded the environmental control computer.

Palla-Palla sat wondering what she should do now. Then she heard the call again. That decided it for her. Putting a robe over her seventeen year old body clad in footed pajamas, the girl went out into the outer room. Nobody was there. Even noted night owls Ves and Cere were in bed. With the coast clear, Palla-Palla exited the quarters and headed down the south corridor. When she reached the door to the balcony, the teen opened it and stepped out. The night was cool, but not unbearable. Looking to her right, she found Grindlewyn leaning against the balcony wall.

"You heard my call, I see," he smiled confidently.

"Palla-Palla's not supposed to talk to you," Palla-Palla said innocently.

"And why ever not?" he said, shoving to his feet and strolling over to her.

"Ves-Ves says you just want to get into Palla-Palla's panties," Palla-Palla reported.

"And you believe everything this Ves-Ves says?"

"Oh, yes. Ves-Ves is Palla-Palla's sister. She looks out for Palla-Palla," and her expression darkened some with chagrin, "because Palla-Palla can't always look out for herself."

"I take it that Ves-Ves is the rather belligerent girl I met earlier?" Grindlewyn asked. Palla-Palla nodded. "And your Ves-Ves thinks that I'm a threat? Well this is proof then that, good intentions she may have, your Ves-Ves doesn't always know everything. I have no desire to hurt you, my lady Palla-Palla. As for your panties," and he grinned automatically, "to admit it would be ungentlemanly, but to deny it would be a lie - - and I never wish to lie to you. But there are rules and procedures that must be met first and I'm not such a cad as to trample them for the sake of expediency."

"Palla-Palla's not sure what you're talking about again," the teen frowned.

Grindlewyn smothered a smile. "Fair enough. Sometimes I do use five words when one will do. It's the price of having a poet's soul, I fear. Simple, then."

He reached behind his back, the shadows playing across his brown tunic. When his hand reappeared, it held a bouquet of exquisite flowers. The blonde youth presented the bouquet to Palla-Palla. For her part, Palla-Palla looked to him with steadfast confusion.

"It would give me great joy if you would accept this gift," he smiled.

"Very pretty," Palla-Palla said, taking the bouquet from him. "Thank you very much. But Palla-Palla didn't get you anything."

"Being in your presence is reward enough," Grindlewyn grinned. Then he bent to one knee and took Palla-Palla's free hand. "My lady Palla-Palla, I must confess that I am madly in love with you. With your kind permission, I would begin my courtship of you."

Continued in Chapter 5


	5. Caught In The Act

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE  
Chapter 5: "Caught In The Act"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Two figures stole down the deserted corridor of the Palace's first floor. They arrived at a storage closet, then stopped and looked around. Nothing was there to see them but the observation opticals mounted strategically in the hall. When the pair were satisfied that no one was currently observing them, the taller figure stood in front of the door. When the door sensors confirmed his identity, the door hissed open and the two figures hurried inside.

"Lights," Yutaka said. The room lights came on, revealing the small room was a closet where extra tables and chairs were stored. "You see, being on the maintenance staff gives me access to all the closets and storage rooms."

"Well, it's certainly private," Hotaru replied, trying to be kind.

"It's not the Royal Chambers, I know," Yutaka offered. "But I figured my hovercar was too cramped."

"We certainly found that out," Hotaru replied with an uncharacteristic saucy smirk. She looked up tenderly into his eyes. "It's not where you are, Yutaka. It's who you're with."

The youth's chest seemed to swell. Then he bent down, wrapped his arms around Hotaru and kissed her passionately. She returned his passion with her own, pulling herself against him, molding her slim body to his. For a period neither one kept track of, both teens thought of nothing save the body of the other, the feel, the scent, the heat of the other's breath against their skin. Higher and higher their passions climbed as each one tried to sate a hunger within that only seemed to grow with each moment.

Finally the two parted and looked at each other. A silent question passed between them and was immediately answered. Yutaka cupped Hotaru under her arms and lifted her up onto one of the stored tables. Engulfed by anticipation, Hotaru eased onto her back as Yutaka climbed onto the table next to her. His arms came to rest on either side of her head. His face was the merest inch from hers. They gazed into each other's eyes.

"Lights to five percent," he whispered. The environmental computer complied. Hotaru leaned up and kissed him again.

* * *

Palla-Palla stared down at the kneeling figure of Grindlewyn, frowning with confusion.

"You," the girl mumbled, "love Palla-Palla?"

"Yes," Grindlewyn beamed.

"Like a mommy and daddy love?"

"You might say that's what the ultimate goal would be," Grindlewyn replied patiently. "Rest assured, I'm quite serious, my lady."

"Why?"

The question clearly threw the youth, but he recovered. "Because," he began, "I find you utterly charming and utterly adorable. Your manner is gentle and kind. Your devotion is admirable. You're quite the beauty. And you're as unique as a snowflake," and he smiled warmly, "and just as fragile."

"Have you been watching Palla-Palla?" the teen asked.

"I must confess, I have admired you from afar for many months," he told her. "I know of the harsh circumstances from which you came and of the admirable work you do now on behalf of your princess. Every moment I see you, I know you a little more. And the more I know of you, the more deeply I lcare for you." He rose up from his knee, still holding her hand, and leaned in. "Is there any hope that you might return my feelings?"

"Palla-Palla isn't sure," Palla-Palla answered. "She doesn't know anything about you."

"Then sit," he said, gesturing to a bench by the wall, "and listen to my tale. I will tell you anything you wish to know."

The pair sat down, a comfortable gap between them. Grindlewyn gazed out over the darkened city for a few moments. Dutifully Palla-Palla waited for him to begin.

"Tell me," he began, "do you believe in magic?"

"Palla-Palla isn't sure," the teen replied.

"It exists," Grindlewyn stated. "I come from Thessleland, the realm of the sprites. Thessleland exists right here, where your crystal city stands."

"But how can that be?" Palla-Palla asked.

"Magic. The same magic that lets me appear and disappear from your world at will hides Thessleland from the humans. Behind the magic that cloaks us, no human can see us nor hear us nor feel our presence. But we can observe them. Rarely do we mix with humans. It seems to upset them. But now and then, a human can attract one's interest or spark - - other feelings."

"And that's why you're here?" Palla-Palla tried to comprehend. "Because Palla-Palla attracted your interest?"

"To say the least," he smiled.

"Are you a sprite?" she asked. He nodded. "And what does a sprite do?"

"Make things happen, mostly," Grindlewyn shrugged. "Have you ever wondered why the wind blows, why the flowers grow or the waters flow? The Gods see that these things happen, and we sprites are the workers who carry out their wishes. In Thessleland, I am the first prince under King Halleffle. When his time is gone, it will be my mission to succeed him as chief monitor of things, to oversee our share of everything that makes life worth living."

The youth noticed Palla-Palla staring at him and was puzzled.

"You don't seem happy about that," Palla-Palla said.

"You're a most perceptive girl," Grindlewyn frowned and for the first time he seemed not to be acting. "I'll confess I'm not anticipating succeeding my father. It's my duty as First Prince, I know - - but the requirements of the job do not bring me joy. Would that I could live my hearts desire, capturing the world's beauty for all eternity in verse. But no, I have a tradition to uphold. And that was before I became aware of you, my lady. The thought of performing that great mission repels me. The thought of living my life without you repels me even more."

"Palla-Palla could visit you," she offered.

"A human, in Thessleland?" he mused. "Impossible. Only we can travel to your world, my lady. The magic would not let you pass the other way." He turned earnestly to her. "But know that I would gladly live out my days in your world if I could do so by your side."

Palla-Palla looked down, overwhelmed.

"All I ask for now is a chance," he persisted. "Give me time to prove my love for you. It's all I . . ."

"You're the intruder we've been warned about! Don't move!" Moriko commanded, entering the balcony area in her security uniform. The woman instantly grasped her shock club and brought it to bear. "Did you think you could invade the palace without our security opticals spotting you?"

"Consider what I've asked, my lady Palla-Palla," Grindlewyn said. "I'll see you soon." And he disappeared, particles of dust swirling in his wake and catching the moonlight.

* * *

"Are you planning on sitting up until she comes home," Michiru gently chided Haruka, "again?"

Haruka was sitting in the living room, absently watching a holographic news stream. It took a moment for Michiru's words to sink in.

"Why not?" Haruka asked. "I worry."

"Haruka, you have to trust Hotaru. She's sixteen, very bright, and a senshi besides. She knows how to take care of herself."

"I trust her," Haruka replied. "It's him I don't trust."

"You are incorrigible," Michiru told her.

"I thought I was in Tokyo," Haruka murmured.

"That," Michiru scowled, "was beneath you."

"I want to know she's safe," Haruka protested. "There's no sense in me turning in. I won't sleep until I know she's back safe."

"You, my dear," Michiru began, leaning down and resting her hands on Haruka's shoulders, "need to learn when to back off. I know it's a big, bad world out there, even in today's enlightened society, and I know you want to keep her safe from it. But she has to have a chance to live her life and learn on her own. If you stifle a Bonsai's growth too much, you get a sickly thing that isn't happy and doesn't give to others."

"Michiru," Haruka said, looking up at her as she leaned over her, "I can't. Not yet."

The lovely artist sighed.

"All right," she said and kissed Haruka on the forehead. "I'll be in bed - - waiting. But don't take too long. I need my beauty sleep."

"Not that much," Haruka murmured, glancing at her mate as she walked away.

Time passed and Haruka continued to watch the news streams without actually seeing them. The two hour mark since Hotaru left to "sit in the garden" passed and approached the two and a half hour mark. And all the while Haruka waited until she could stand it no longer.

"Computer," Haruka said. "Location of Hotaru Tomoe in the palace and surrounding grounds."

"Hotaru Tomoe is currently on Level One, in west corridor, storage unit B," came the reply.

"What's she doing in there?" wondered Haruka, her confusion unconcealed. The woman sat and pondered this information, but the more she pondered it, the less sense she could make of it.

Finally unable to come up with any logical explanation, the woman got to her feet and silently ambled out the door. She came up to storage unit B only by asking the environmental control computer for a holographic map to follow. Normally Haruka had little use for the palace storage units, other than her own. Coming up to the door, she waited for the sensor to recognize her. When the door didn't open, she passed her hand across it. The door remained closed.

"Computer voice and retinal recognition," Haruka said, her suspicions mounting. "Senshi override - - open." Haruka's adrenalin began to pump. If something had happened to Hotaru . . .

The door hissed open. As light from the corridor spilled into the room and over a table, Hotaru and Yutaka looked up with shock and horror. Haruka gaped for a moment. Then she hurriedly turned away.

"C-Close!" she choked out. Sagging against a wall, she rested her head against it and looked up to the ceiling. Oh what she had just done.

* * *

Jun was sitting in the communal room that connected with the four bedrooms of the asteroids. The lights were up low, low enough so as not to disturb anyone else, but high enough for her to see. She was at her computer station, reading an article posted on the fall of the Almonte regime in Colombia in 2984.

As she read about the list of abuses inflicted upon the Colombian people by General Almonte and his underlings, Jun grew more depressed. The depression had been what kept her from sleeping. Under Almonte's direction, Antonio Batista had helped carry out a reign of terror for years. They had electronically spied on the people, crushed dissent, arrested millions. Batista personally executed millions of prisoners by exposing them to the radiation from thoride, the thorium isotope that disintegrated organic matter painfully over the course of an hour. Almonte and Batista were responsible for one of the greatest, most heinous acts of genocide the world had seen in nearly three hundred years.

Tears began to dribble down her cheeks. Tears for the millions who had suffered under this horrible nightmare, but more so tears for herself. Antonio Batista was a monster. There was no two ways of judging him.

And she was his daughter? The very thought turned her stomach. Jun wanted to stop, to go to bed and forget the revelation ever happened. Better she hadn't known than to know this. But she kept reading, almost as if to punish herself for her own heritage. Besides, questions still bothered her. How did she end up in Brasilia, in the Amazon floating on the wrecked hull of a boat? And just who was her mother, if genetic testing proved that Madame Batista wasn't.

And did she really want to know?

Just then, the front door hissed open. Quickly wiping the tears from her eyes, Jun turned and found Palla-Palla standing framed in the doorway. She was accompanied by Moriko from palace security.

"Palla-Palla?" Jun inquired, rising to meet them. "Moriko, what happened?"

"She was out on the south balcony with the stranger we'd been alerted to," Moriko explained.

"He's not a stranger," Palla-Palla pouted. "He's Mr. Grindlewyn-Sir."

"He isn't authorized to be in the palace," Moriko tried to reason. "Just because you know him doesn't mean he can avoid the gate check-in."

"Palla-Palla, the king has these procedures in place for a reason," Jun added patiently. "It isn't safe to let just anybody come in and wander around the palace. They could be a threat to the Royal Family."

"Mr. Grindlewyn-Sir doesn't want to hurt anybody," Palla-Palla protested. "He said so himself."

"He could be lying," Moriko said.

"And even if he isn't, he has to follow the rules, Palla-Palla," Jun persisted. "He may be your friend, but our first duty as senshi is to guard the Princess. That means we can't assume people are nice just because they say so."

"Palla-Palla is sorry," the girl said, forlornly looking down.

"If he means what he says, he won't mind going through security," Jun said, hugging her sister to comfort her. "And he can call on you at a more reasonable hour than midnight." Palla-Palla nodded. "OK, go on to bed."

"Palla-Palla isn't in trouble?"

"No," Moriko smiled. "We're more worried about you than anything else."

Palla-Palla beamed at them, then scurried off to her room. Jun and Moriko turned and headed for the door.

"He wasn't doing anything suspicious, was he?" Jun asked.

"Not that I know of," Moriko reported. "They were just talking. I only pulled my shock club because he was on the alert list."

"Well, thanks," Jun said. "We'll try to keep her out of trouble from this end."

"OK," Moriko nodded. Then she paused in the doorway. "Maybe you ought to know this. This guy may not be a threat to the Royal Family, but Palla-Palla did tell me he wants to start his 'courtship' of her. I don't know if he's serious, but even if he is, can she handle something like that?"

* * *

Michiru woke to the sound of raised voices. Putting on a robe, she stumbled out into the living room. Haruka was standing next to Hotaru's door, pleading with the girl to come out. From inside, she could hear Hotaru animatedly order Haruka away. Interceding, she pulled her mate away from the door and gently guided the woman to a seat.

"I screwed up," Haruka muttered. She wouldn't look at Michiru. "I screwed everything up. I screwed it up."

"Screwed what up? Haruka, what happened?"

"I screwed it up. I'm so stupid."

"Haruka, what happened?" Michiru asked again.

"I'm so stupid!"

"Haruka!" Michiru exclaimed, shaking the woman's shoulders. Haruka finally looked up at her, in shock, as if realizing for the first time that Michiru was there. She swallowed. Then she looked at the floor again.

And the entire story came spilling out. The embarrassing confrontation, how Hotaru stalked past her in the hall, humiliation oozing from every pore, the tears and the bitter accusations all came out. Michiru's heart sank, but she listened intently.

"Oh, why did I do it?" Haruka groaned, her face in her hands, elbows propped on her knees. "I'm so stupid."

"You were just concerned," Michiru assured her. "Your heart was in the right place."

"Fat lot of good that's going to do," Haruka murmured. "She's going to hate me for this. And I don't blame her."

"Haruka," Michiru said, trying to get the woman to face her. It didn't work.

"What if she runs away?" Haruka gasped in a fearful frenzy. "What if they run off together and I never see her again?"

"Well, I did warn you."

That got Haruka to look at her. It was a sight Michiru Kaioh hadn't seen in a long time. Haruka was crying. Haruka never cried. Crying was an anathema to her. Crying showed weakness, something Haruka had learned early in her life never to do. Crying made you vulnerable. It showed those trying to get you that they'd reached you. And crying reminded her of that time, long ago, that time that still scarred her, even after all these years and all of her successes.

And Michiru could only think to do one thing. She gathered her wounded bird into her breast and held her.

"It's not the end, Haruka," Michiru whispered to her. "Hotaru is a generous girl. She'll forgive you. Just give her some time. We both know there are far worse things that could have happened."

"If only I hadn't been so suspicious," Haruka said through clenched teeth and quivering lips. "I will never forgive myself for hurting her like this!"

"Haruka, it will be all right," Michiru told her. "Come on to bed. Maybe everything will be forgotten in the morning. And if it isn't, I'll talk to her."

"Tell her I'm sorry," Haruka sniffled. "I don't think she'll believe me. Tell her. Make her believe it."

Continued in Chapter 6


	6. Past Imperfect

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE  
Chapter 6: "Past Imperfect"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Jun's eyes suddenly opened and for a moment there was disorientation. Her eyes adjusted to the dark. It helped to focus on the chronometer on the table next to her bed. She wasn't back in the mirror world and she wasn't wearing her Amazoness Quartet costume. Zirconia wasn't laying dead at her feet, the creature's blood dripping from Jun's hands. Queen Neherenia wasn't clutching her by the shoulders with that cold, sterile grip.

It seemed so real. Jun still shuddered at the memory of those icy hands touching her, of those icy lips pressing up to her ear and whispering into it. And what she said.

"Very good, Jun-Jun," Neherenia had said, a sadistic lilt to her voice. "You've proven to be your father's daughter. You're more than enough to take Zirconia's place at my side." Then Neherenia swept her cloak out, toward the mirror and the teaming millions of people it looked out upon. "We have much work to do, you and I. And I won't rest until all of your fellow humans are dead." She said that, as Jun could only stare at Zirconia's blood coating her fingers.

Jun sighed and looked at the chronometer. It was 4:27 am. She needed to get back to sleep. She was up far too late last night, hooked by morbid curiosity about her - - father. If she didn't get back to sleep, she was going to be useless in class.

But Jun could still feel her adrenalin-accelerated heart pounding in her chest. Sleep was looking more and more like a goal out of reach. And a tiny voice inside her brain wondered if that was such a bad thing. Neherenia and her father couldn't get her when she was awake.

* * *

Hotaru ventured out of her room. She was headed for the cafeteria and breakfast with her friends before they headed to school. She had waited this long on purpose, timing her departure for when she knew Haruka always went running in the morning. That way, she could avoid Haruka all together and avoid what happened last night. The girl exited her room and focused on the door, ready to give Michiru a cursory good-bye and escape.

But Haruka was there, at the breakfast table, waiting. Hotaru stopped. Her heart clutched in her chest. She could see her papa's remorseful face. Then she recalled the humiliation she felt last night. The humiliation hardened her gaze and thinned her mouth. Walking defiantly toward the door, Hotaru exited without a word.

Haruka sighed. She got to her feet and headed for the door. "I'm going running," she said to Michiru.

"I'll talk to her," Michiru offered. Haruka only nodded, then was gone.

* * *

Ves entered main room of the quarters she shared with her "sisters". The room was a dreary place. Jun sat in a plush chair, still brooding on the news she'd received last evening and the dream she kept secret. Cere sat at her work station, ignoring the homework she had put off from last night and staring at Jun with concern. Palla-Palla was in her doll corner, brushing Princess Kagura's hair with a tiny brush.

"So who do you suppose your real mom is?" Ves asked point blank. A pillow sailed across the room and hit her in the face. "Hey!"

"Ves, you have all the sensitivity of a club!" Cere shrieked.

"I didn't say anything she wasn't already thinking!" Ves roared back. "And it's not that surprising that this guy was getting a little on the side. It's not like he was a saint or anything." Another pillow struck her in the head. "YOU DO THAT AGAIN AND I'M GOING TO POUND YOU!"

"I really don't need this right now, you two," Jun interjected.

"Aw, you're not going to start moping around here again, are you?" Ves grumbled. "It was bad enough after that ghost appeared!"

"And how long did it take us to pry YOU out of your bedroom after you found out about Carlton?" Jun shot back.

"Jun, what were you expecting?" Ves demanded. "Your parents were going to be some fantasy couple who cured the sick and heard confessions in their spare time? They were going to sweep in and give you everything you haven't had for the last ten years? It's not happening! Your dad was a slime, just like mine. He probably did some Colombian society dame and knocked her up. That don't reflect any on you! That don't make you any less than what you are! And sitting around here moping because he wasn't Saint Jude isn't going to accomplish anything!"

"Oh, listen to Ves the philosopher!" Jun snapped back. "Did you figure that one out between gang fights?"

"Listen, stop it, OK?" Cere shouted.

"You keep out of it, Priss!" Ves volleyed back.

"STOP CALLING ME PRISS!" bellowed Cere.

"Both of you, butt out!" Jun howled.

And just as suddenly all the shouting stopped, because the three girls noticed Palla-Palla was suddenly in between all of them. She clutched Princess Kagura to her chest and hunched her shoulders, refusing to look at anyone or anything but the floor.

"Palla-Palla doesn't like it when you fight," the teen said, her lower lip protruding. "And Palla-Palla thinks that Jun-Jun worries too much about being like her mommy and daddy were, and whether her mommy and daddy would have liked who she became. Palla-Palla likes Jun-Jun and she's very proud to be her sister. And if Jun-Jun's mommy and daddy didn't think the same thing, then they're both big poopy-heads."

"You tell 'em, Stupid," Ves said, patting Palla-Palla on the shoulder while Cere struggled not to laugh.

"Have you been peeking into my mind again?" Jun asked quietly.

"Just a little," Palla-Palla offered up.

"Look, Jun, a day doesn't go by when I don't wonder whether my parents would approve of what I'm doing," Cere said, "and I knew they loved me. What you're wondering is natural for any orphan. You just can't obsess about it. At the end of the day, you have to live your life your way. You can't let yourself be consumed by what if. And you can't take your parents' mistakes out on yourself."

"Jun, you can only be responsible for you," Ves added.

"I think I just said that," Cere huffed.

"I suppose," Jun moaned, flopping back on the chair. "But having Saint Jude for a father would have been nice."

"Are you kidding? Then you'd have to go to mass every Sunday," chuckled Ves.

"You know," Cere proposed, "maybe there's a way to check the genetics files Colombia has. Maybe we could find out who your mother really is?"

"I'm not sure I want to know anymore," groaned Jun. "What if she turns out to be Colombia's worst axe murderer?"

"Then you write an e-book about how your parents murdered half of Colombia and make a fortune," shrugged Ves.

"You are SO lucky I ran out of pillows," fumed Cere.

* * *

"Wow," Usa gasped as she and Hotaru walked to the cafeteria. "I can't believe she'd do something like that."

"I was completely humiliated, Usa," Hotaru said sadly. "And poor Yutaka. I wouldn't blame him if he never wants to see me again."

"I don't think you've got anything to worry about there," Usa assured her.

"You think?"

"Hotaru, you're too busy mooning over him to see the way he looks at you," Usa grinned. "That boy's got it bad for you. And I mean BAD."

"If you say so," Hotaru mumbled. She wanted to believe. "Please don't say anything to the others," she requested as they entered the cafeteria.

The others were already seated. Cere was picking at her food, her appetite at war with concerns about her figure. Ves was eating something spicy and traditionally Brazilian, completely unconcerned with whether it was bad for her or not. Palla-Palla was shoveling her favorite cereal into her mouth. The entering pair's glance shifted to Jun. She didn't seem to be as morose as yesterday. That was encouraging.

"Hey, gang," Usa waved as she and Hotaru were seated. "What's up?"

"Good morning, Princess!" Palla-Palla enthusiastically declared. "Good morning, Miss Hotaru-Ma'am!"

"How are you doing, Jun?" Usa offered.

"I'll live," Jun replied. "I wish it was better news, but at least it answered some questions I've always wondered about."

"Of course, now I've got a Colombian for a sister," Ves added.

"What's wrong with that?" bristled Jun.

"You're not Brasilian," Ves smirked back devilishly. "And now you officially suck at futbol."

"'El Nino' says different," Jun shot back. El Nino was the nineteen year old Colombian sensation of the last World Cup competition.

"Princess?" Palla-Palla ventured suddenly. "How do you know if you love a boy?" Everybody at the table was stunned for a moment. Then Jun covered her eyes with her hand.

"That's an odd question to start the morning with," Usa replied.

"Palla-Palla is sorry," the teen said. She turned to Hotaru. "So how do you know, Miss Hotaru Ma-am?" Hotaru instantly went crimson.

"Why are you asking?" Usa inquired.

"Palla-Palla wants to know," she replied. Then her gaze dropped to her bowl of Sugar Bombs. "Because a boy said he was in love with Palla-Palla."

"What boy?" demanded Ves. "That guy from the security optical?" Palla-Palla nodded.

"When did he tell you this?"

"Last night on the balcony," confessed Palla-Palla.

"I thought I told you to stay away from that guy!" Ves roared. Palla-Palla cringed.

"Ves!" snapped Cere. Ves glared at her. "Stop brow-beating her! You're upsetting her."

Ves looked at Palla-Palla and saw it was true. With supreme effort, Ves struggled to calm herself. The girls all knew that it was unusual for her, but they also knew that Palla-Palla was probably the only person in the universe she'd do it for.

"He said he was in love with you?" Hotaru asked Palla-Palla.

Palla-Palla nodded. "He said he was from a magical land and that he came here to, um, to whoop Palla-Palla." That drew more confused looks.

"She probably means 'woo'," Hotaru told them. "It's an old term for trying to get a girl to like you."

Ves snorted. "And then he said he was really a prince and he'd give up his throne to marry you if you only said yes, right?"

"How did you know, Ves-Ves?" Palla-Palla asked.

"He's feeding you a line," Ves told her. "Peek in his head and you'll find out for sure."

"Palla-Palla tried that," the teen said, unsettled. "She couldn't hear any of his thoughts. She only seems to be able to hear him when he wants her to."

"That shows you he's up to something," Ves remarked.

"It also shows he might actually be a magical being like he says," Usa added.

"Look, all of that stuff is secondary right now," Cere interjected. She turned to Palla-Palla. "How do you feel about him?"

"Palla-Palla doesn't know," she admitted. "He's very nice to Palla-Palla. And Cere-Cere thinks he's pretty, so he must be." Cere flushed as she emitted a grunt of frustration. "But Palla-Palla doesn't think she feels the same way about him that she feels about Cere-Cere or Ves-Ves or Jun-Jun. But, Palla-Palla has never been in love with a boy, so she's not sure if it's the same."

"Do you want to see him again?" Jun asked her.

"Not if it's going to make Ves-Ves mad," Palla-Palla whispered.

"Look," Ves began, then bit back her anger. "I'm just trying to look out for you, OK? I'm - - sorry if I got mad. If you want to see him again," and Ves clenched her jaw, then released it, "go ahead. Just be careful, huh? Don't automatically believe everything he tells you!"

"Palla-Palla won't, Ves-Ves," Palla-Palla said earnestly. Then she suddenly perked up. "Time for school."

"Back to the dungeon," sighed Cere.

As they all got up to leave, Palla-Palla suddenly stopped and stared at Hotaru. Hotaru looked back at her, perplexed.

"The storage closet?" Palla-Palla asked with surprise. Hotaru instantly went beet red.

* * *

Endymion and Serenity were sitting in a the Royal Chambers. Serenity was consuming her breakfast through bleary eyes, having been dragged kicking and screaming from her warm, soft bed. The person who had done the dragging sat across from her. As he had eaten two hours ago, he merely watched her eat and made sure she didn't fall asleep and slip into her oatmeal.

"Your daughter says 'hi'," Endymion said.

"Hi, Usa," Serenity mumbled, her eyelids barely apart. Her hand lifted a spoon to her face, hit her upper lip, adjusted and slid into her mouth.

"You might do better if you opened your eyes," Endymion suggested wryly.

"I can't!" pouted Serenity. "And it's your fault - - dragging me away from a perfectly good bed. I hate you."

"I know," Endymion nodded absently. He was checking over the news streams in a virtual display on his left.

"This is the worst rice I've ever had!" groused the queen.

"That's oatmeal," Endymion replied.

"Oh." Serenity tried to think of a comeback. "Well don't I get any sugar?"

Endymion leaned over the table and kissed her.

"I MEANT TABLE SUGAR!" Serenity bellowed.

"My, you're grumpy this morning."

"Where is it written that I have to get up before noon?" Serenity demanded.

"You have a meet-and-greet with the ruling counsel of the west prefect at ten," Endymion reminded her.

"What dope made that appointment so early in the morning?" rumbled Serenity. She paused, waiting for an answer. "I did, didn't I?"

"Uh huh," Endymion smiled.

"You're enjoying this too much," Serenity scowled.

"Uh huh," Endymion chuckled.

Just then, the environmental control computer signaled an incoming call. Endymion pressed the virtual button on the virtual screen. Yoshiro Kuwara, his Minister Of Foreign Affairs, appeared on the screen. Serenity perked up, in spite of herself.

"Forgive the intrusion this early in the day, King Endymion," Kuwara began. Both sovereigns noticed his distress. "But I thought you would want to know about this immediately, given who it concerns."

"Don't give it a second thought, Minister," Endymion assured him. "What's happened?"

"We've received a communique from the Chief Minister of Colombia, through official channels," Kuwara explained. "Colombia has filed an official request for extradition with the Department of Foreign Affairs, for Junelle Batista, alias Jun-Jun. I thought, since she is one of the Princess's bodyguards, that you would want to know immediately."

"Endymion?" Serenity asked. She was fully awake now and stunned.

"Did the request for extradition list any formal charge?" Endymion asked.

"It just lists that she is a material witness in an ongoing investigation," Kuwara reported.

Endymion eased back into his chair, deep in thought.

"Endymion, you can't seriously consider handing her over?" gasped Serenity.

"It did say they only want her as a material witness, Serenity. It's not like they're going to chuck her in prison. Although that could happen if their 'investigation' leads to that conclusion, I suppose." Endymion thought for a few moments. "Given the ambiguity of the reason for the request, we have no legal obligation to surrender her," Endymion said. He glanced at the virtual screen. "Consider that our official position, Minister."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kuwara nodded.

"But add that I will be available to Chief Minister Gomez if he wishes to discuss the matter," Endymion told him.

"Endymion, what is there to discuss?" Serenity demanded.

"Well," Endymion replied calmly, "I'm curious about why he wants her. Is it something else, or is it simple revenge over who her father is?"

* * *

The students of Classroom One were chattering away as Minako Aino entered the room rather hurriedly and ascended to the teacher's lectern.

"OK, OK!" Minako shouted to get their attention. "Just because the easy teacher is here doesn't mean you all get to take advantage. Quiet down!"

"GOOD MORNING, MISS MINAKO-MA'AM!" Palla-Palla exclaimed.

"Hiya, Palla-Palla," Minako smiled. "Heard you got some guy interested in you. I knew you had it in you."

"Thank you very much, Miss Minako-Ma'am," Palla-Palla said. "But Palla-Palla doesn't know very much about him."

"He's a boy. What more do you need to know?" Minako quipped, drawing several snickers and a couple of rolled eyes from the students. She turned back to her lectern. "OK, let's see where Makoto left off."

Minako scanned the lesson plan for a few seconds.

"This is boring," she declared. "I say we skip this junk. What do you girls want to talk about? I'll try to give you some of the vast experience I've acquired over a thousand years. But no dishing about any movie stars I may have had affairs with - - unless you ask real nice."

Palla-Palla's hand shot up.

"This ought to be good," Minako smirked, pointing to the teen.

"How do you know if you're in love with a boy?" Palla-Palla asked.

"Wow," Minako said, growing visibly uncomfortable. "That lesson plan is looking better all the . . ."

Suddenly a huge gust of wind exploded from the middle of the room. It slammed into furnishings and occupants alike, swirling debris around the room and throwing everyone to the floor. Only Minako managed to keep her feet. As she held onto the lectern, her right hand went out reflexively and her henshin stick appeared.

Everyone twisted around to see what had caused the sudden burst of wind. To their surprise, there was another person in the room. She stood barely five feet tall, with a figure that was squat, but robust. Her hair was long and virgin white, while her face was round and slightly pudgy, but in an attractive way. Golden hoop earrings dangled from her ears and a golden chain and locket hung from her neck. Her form was draped in a violet dress gathered at the waist by a golden belt, with a plunging v-shaped neckline and long flared sleeves. The skirt's hem ended at her ankles, with one side of the dress slit up her left side to her hip. Her dainty feet were bare. Scanning the sprawling teens, her eyes focused on one.

"You!" she snarled, pointing directly at Palla-Palla. "You're the soulless wench who stole my Grindlewyn from me!"

And with that, the wind in the tiny room began to whip and whistle ominously.

Continued in Chapter 7


	7. Debt Collector

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE  
Chapter 7: "Debt Collector"  
A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

The wind generated by the strange intruder whipped down onto Palla-Palla. Instantly Minako and Ves transformed, while the others stared in shock. For her part, Palla-Palla cringed and grunted. They could see she was having a difficult time breathing, because the wind was traveling too fast to inhale and the air pressure was preventing her chest from expanding.

"Why are you attacking her?" Usa demanded, struggling to insinuate herself between the intruder and Palla-Palla.

"She stole my Grindlewyn from me!" the woman raged. "I was his intended! I was promised to him! But he threw me aside for her! Well let's see if he can love a corpse!"

"FAUNA ASSIMILATION, LION!" Sailor Vesta bellowed out over the roaring winds. As Vesta transformed into a full-grown lioness, the others took that as a signal to transform as well.

Vaulting over the desks, her muscular form pressing against the surging air pressure, Vesta landed within feet of the white-haired intruder. Her powerful back and shoulder muscles flexed, thrusting Vesta off the floor and at the woman, claws bared and teeth seeking her throat. Forced to retreat, the woman avoided Vesta's lunge. The great cat landed nimbly and launched herself at the woman again. The cat's murderous intent was plain to see on her face, for nothing stoked Vesta's rage more than a threat to Palla-Palla.

"Silence Wall!" Saturn called out. She threw her shield up around Palla-Palla, protecting the teen from the pounding wind. Gratefully Palla-Palla came to rest on her hands and knees and sucked in air that had been denied her.

A hard gust of wind swatted Vesta to the floor. Juno and Saturn tried to bracket her, while Ceres formed four plant animates to try to grab her. Not liking the odds, the woman gave ground, seeking a means of escape.

"Stop this!" Sailor Moon called to her. "We're not your enemies! Whatever has happened, we can work it out!"

When Saturn and Juno got too close, she let loose another gust of wind. The wind lifted Juno off of her feet and slammed her against the wall, while it whipped at the plant animates until they were flayed and broken. But Saturn kept coming, her glaive cutting through the bursts of wind with windmill strokes.

"Stand down!" Saturn yelled. "We don't want to fight you, but we're not going to let you kill Palla-Palla!"

"Never!" the woman yelled back with animation. "She's going to pay for what she did! And if you protect her, you'll pay, too!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Ceres noticed that Sailor Venus was hanging back, waiting to see if the younger senshi could handle things on their own, but also waiting for an opening to use her powers. It gave Ceres an idea. Catching Vesta's eye, she signaled the girl to lunge. Well, you didn't have to tell Vesta twice. The lion sprang at the stranger, once more seeking to get the woman in her grip and take her down like a fleeing gazelle. At the same time, Saturn knocked down another air burst with her glaive.

Squealing with alarm, the woman stepped to the side, barely throwing up another wind gust to deflect Vesta's lunge. That put her in position.

"Floral Stimulation," Ceres whispered with a satisfied smirk and a gleam in her eye.

Shoots sprang up from one of the broken plant animates directly beneath the intruder's feet. The vines grew rapidly, springing up and winding themselves around her body in an instant. Before she could react, the intruder was caught in a massive growth of twisting green vines, snared and immobile.

"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Sailor Moon cried out, pointing the Moon Kaleidoscope directly at the snared intruder. She was bathed in pink energy and quickly robbed of her belligerence. Her eyes drooped. She stopped struggling and sank to her knees, her shoulders stooped and her demeanor stuporous. Venus quickly descended from the lectern and knelt by Palla-Palla.

"How are you doing?" Venus inquired. "You going to be OK?" Palla-Palla nodded, but she still seemed anxious. Venus looked up at the group. "And that, ladies, is what we in the business call teamwork. Good job."

When Saturn came over to tend to Palla-Palla, Venus got up and returned to the lectern. There she engaged inter-palace communications.

"Who are you calling?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Who else?" Venus replied. "Magical wind elementals aren't my department. I'm calling Rei."

* * *

Michiru paused at the entrance to the living room and looked at Haruka. The woman was sitting on the sofa, silently brooding as she so often did when life had dealt her a setback. She wanted to go over and comfort her mate, but a thousand years of experience told her that when Haruka was like this, it was best to just leave her alone until she came out of it on her own. It might not be healthy, but it cut down on the arguments. And she couldn't honestly say she was better. Many was the time she'd locked herself in her studio after a bad day or a tiff with someone and painted something savage.

"Yutaka Meihama desires entry," announced the environmental control computer. Michiru raised a brow in surprise. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Haruka glancing at the door. That spurred her to get it.

"Yutaka," Michiru greeted him after the door opened. "Hotaru isn't here. She's in class."

"I know, Kaioh-San," Yutaka said. He seemed to be struggling to keep his courage up, but he met her eye and didn't shy away. "Actually I'm here to talk to - - Tenoh-San."

"That," Michiru glanced surreptitiously at Haruka, still on the sofa, "might not be a good idea right about now."

"I understand Tenoh-San is upset," Yutaka persisted. "You're both probably upset. But this needs to be discussed. I don't want to cause Hotaru any problems with you two. Please! I just want to say my piece and then - - you can do whatever you like."

Michiru was torn. She knew things needed to be said, knew an understanding had to be reached in this matter. And she admired the fact that Yutaka seemed to know this, too. He was a very mature, sensitive person who cared enough about Hotaru to try to get this worked out. But there was Haruka and her temper to consider, also. If Haruka provoked a fight with Yutaka, it could only make the situation worse.

"Maybe you could," she began.

"Let him in," grunted Haruka. "Let's hear what he's got to say for himself."

Michiru took a breath to steady herself, then stepped aside and ushered Yutaka in. From his body language, Michiru could tell that Haruka still intimidated him. But he pushed himself forward and bearded the lion in its den. As Yutaka walked into the sight line of Haruka, Michiru stationed herself behind her love, to try to restrain her if necessary.

"Thank you for seeing me, Tenoh-San," Yutaka stated and bowed to her. Haruka was impassive. "I apologize for going behind your back. And I want to ask you not to hold this against Hotaru. I am solely responsible."

"You saying you dragged her into that storage closet and forced yourself on her?" Haruka asked pointedly, with a menacing stare.

"No!" exclaimed Yutaka. "I would never do that, Sir . . . Ma'am . . . um . . .it was both our idea! But I should have waited. I should have been strong - - strong for both of us."

"Waited for what?" Haruka asked sullenly. "So you're saying you two did something wrong?"

Yutaka swallowed. "I don't think so. Maybe in the way we did it. But I don't think what we did was wrong. I love Hotaru." He looked down. "I want to marry her. I want to be with her forever. If we did anything wrong," and he paused, trying to convert his thoughts into words, "it was making you suspicious enough to check up on us. Obviously that's my fault, because I haven't given you a reason to trust me. I will try to do better. I will try to prove to you that you can trust me with Hotaru. Please don't give her trouble because you still don't trust me."

Yutaka looked up again and locked eyes with Haruka. A tense silence filled the room. Michiru actually respected Yutaka a little more, both for admitting his mistake and for trying to protect Hotaru. But would Haruka see that? She silently prayed that her love wouldn't project her issues onto Yutaka and make a bad situation even worse. Yutaka and Haruka continued to stare each other down.

"Look," Haruka began, and it was her turn to glance down, "I understand hormones. Believe it or not, I was young once. And maybe I bark a little bit more than I should - - and sometimes act before I think." She looked up and engaged Yutaka's eyes again. "I guess you were right about me not trusting you. But you coming here showed me something. And Hotaru's crazy about you. So what I think of you really doesn't matter in the long run. As long as you're good for her, that's all that's really important." She scowled, but it seemed to be aimed more at herself than at him. "I may be a little gruff sometimes, but as long as you don't hurt her, you got nothing to worry about from me."

"Thank you, Tenoh-San," Yutaka replied soberly. "So you aren't mad at Hotaru?"

"I was never mad at Hotaru," Haruka admitted. "That ease your mind?"

"Yes, Tenoh-San. That's all I was really worried about."

Haruka silently nodded.

"It was good of you to come," Michiru interjected. She came over and ushered Yutaka to the door. "You call on Hotaru anytime your studies permit. And I won't spoil your 'wedding plans' until you're ready to tell Hotaru yourself."

Yutaka gave her a tense smile and nodded, then exited. Michiru breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to enter the living room again.

"Thank you for not killing him," Michiru needled.

"Pretty brave kid," Haruka commented. "He really must be crazy about Firefly to stand up to me like that."

"Love grants you the courage to take on impossible odds," Michiru responded.

"Yeah," Haruka grinned sheepishly, some of the burden lifted from her shoulders as well. "So how did I do?"

"B minus," Michiru smirked.

* * *

"Well, she is a supernatural being," Rei stated after examining the strange woman bound up in vines, "but she's not a kami. I can tell you that."

It seemed like the entire palace was assembled in Classroom One. In reality, it was only the elder senshi, the king and queen, and the cats. Sailor Moon and the younger senshi stood off to the side. One of Rei's sutras was stuck to the woman's forehead to control her once Sailor Moon's spell wore off.

"So what is she?" Makoto asked. Beside her, Ami was pecking on her hand-held medical sensor, trying to make sense of the reading she was getting.

"I'd like to question her to be sure," Rei replied. "But I'd say she's an elemental spirit."

"Mr. Grindlewyn-Sir said he was a sprite," Palla-Palla volunteered.

"Same concept, different language," Rei nodded. "Every civilization has its myths about magical elementals that inhabit the land."

"Basically, they're vassals of the various elemental kami," Sailor Moon interjected. "They do the day to day work to regulate whatever the individual kami is in charge of. The kami is the lord. Someone like her would be like a noble. Beneath her is the worker class. In her case, she and the workers below her keep the air currents flowing."

"How do you know that, Honey?" Serenity inquired.

"I'm reading it in Helios's mind," Sailor Moon confessed. "He's very familiar with them."

"Probably a lot more familiar than I am," Rei added. "That's more information than I knew."

"Well that's all nice," Vesta piped up. "Why was she after Palla-Palla?"

"I can answer that," came a voice from behind everyone. They turned and found the mystery man from the surveillance opticals.

"Mr. Grindlewyn-Sir!" Palla-Palla exclaimed. Vesta glared.

"My lady Palla-Palla," he smiled and bowed floridly. Then he straightened and addressed the gathered. "Forgive my intrusion into your hearth. I fear that this whole incident is at least partially my fault. I should try to make amends at least in part by telling you all what goes on." He glanced painfully at the trussed up woman. "Her name is Myrah. She's the Princess of the Wind Sprites, and eldest daughter of King Gorphyn." Grindlewyn sighed. "He and my father, King Halleffle, noble of the plant sprites, arranged a marriage between us, as has been the tradition between our two people for countless generations."

"But you didn't love her?" Sailor Moon asked.

"She's a fine woman," Grindlewyn answered. "Let no one think otherwise. She has a temper, aye, but that's part of what makes her interesting. And she's quite intelligent and quite kind when she's of a mind to be. She'd make a fine wife for any man."

"Any man except you," muttered Myrah. Everyone turned to see if she was trying to escape. But she sat in the chair, head down.

"Myrah!" Grindlewyn exclaimed in frustration. "How many times can a man apologize? I did not seek your humiliation! I've no grievance against you! But I must follow the dictates of my heart!"

"Even if it leads you off a cliff?" Myrah asked, looking up. It was clear, between the strength of the vines and the influence of the sutra that she wasn't going anywhere. She was far from docile, however. "You would abandon your position and standing, your family, your responsibilities, your people, everything - - to follow the dictates of your heart? A course that has no chance to succeed, that can only end in failure?"

"It has a chance," Grindlewyn differed. "A slim one, perhaps. But even if it's one chance in a billion, I must take it. What good would I be to you, pining for something else? Go to your father. Find another, someone who can love you the way you deserve. If he asks why, blame it all on me. Surely you must see that's the best course."

"All I see is that you rejected me," Myrah glowered, "for this. And that you're a fool - - fool enough to think," and her head bowed once again, avoiding every look, "to think that I could love anyone else."

Palla-Palla approached. Myrah looked up suspiciously.

"Palla-Palla is sorry," the teen offered. "She didn't make Mr. Grindlewyn-Sir love her. And she doesn't know if she can love him back. She thinks he might be better off going back to you - - but she can't make him. Please don't be mad."

"I don't want your sympathy," snarled the wind sprite. And she spat in Palla-Palla's face. Instantly Vesta lashed out with her foot and kicked Myrah's chair onto its side. Quickly Juno and Sailor Moon grabbed Vesta and held her back.

"Do that again!" Vesta raged as her teammates struggled to hold onto her and Palla-Palla shrunk away. "I DARE YOU TO DO THAT AGAIN!"

"All right, you made your point," Makoto whispered to Vesta, blocking her from Myrah.

"Myrah," Serenity said, kneeling down and touching the woman on the arm. "I'm sorry for what's happened here, but this isn't the way, either to win Grindlewyn back or to sooth your hurt."

Myrah stared up at the gentle face. A change seemed to come over her. Once again the unique power of Queen Serenity worked on another being. Myrah calmed. She glanced at the floor, momentarily chagrined by her actions. With help from Rei, Serenity righted the woman's chair.

"If you'll release me," she offered, "I'll go. I promise on the honor of my station that I will not attack your home or your people again."

"I wish we could part as friends," Queen Serenity said, "but I accept. Ceres, release her please."

"Yes, ma'am," Ceres nodded and gestured. The vines loosened. Rei removed the sutra and Myrah stood up. She looked directly at Grindlewyn.

"You've made your choice," she told him. "Perhaps you didn't intend to hurt me the way you did. All I ask now is that you don't hurt me again by seeking to come back to me."

And she faded from view.

* * *

Endymion sat in the plush chair in his office and waited while the computer screen displayed the same "Call in progress - - please hold" message. His head slipped into one hand and rested on his elbow. He didn't need this at the moment. Instead of waiting, he wanted to be going over security schematics, trying to figure out how two people had very easily managed to breech palace security. Magical beings or not, it was a vulnerability and that made him nervous. Plus he had an ominous feeling about this whole "sprite" business, that it wasn't finished yet, that there was more trouble from this situation brewing on the horizon. And he had normal state business to attend to. And he had a wife and daughter that he'd like to spend some time with.

Why people ever wanted to be kings and presidents, that was something he had trouble understanding sometimes.

"We apologize for the delay," the computer voice stated, translated into Japanese from its original Spanish. "Chief Minister Gomez will speak with you now."

The picture changed and Ramon Gomez, Chief Minister of the Democratic Republic of Colombia appeared. From his demeanor, Endymion concluded that none of his bitterness toward Japan and him specifically had diminished.

"You wished to speak to me, King Endymion?" Gomez asked brusquely. The computer automatically translated.

"Yes," Endymion replied, feeling the direct approach was the best. "I received your extradition request for Jun-Jun. Frankly, I'm at a loss as to why you've taken this step."

"You refer to Junelle Batista?" Gomez inquired. The distaste with which he pronounced the name spoke volumes to Endymion. "I thought our reasons were stated quite clearly in the request."

"I really don't see the purpose of it, Minister," Endymion told him. "Investigations into the Almonte regime ended long ago. Everyone knows what he and his men did," and Endymion added, "now. Is there something new that's been discovered that I'm unaware of?"

"I wasn't aware that you in Japan paid any attention to events in Colombia," Gomez replied pointedly. "The ongoing investigation is into the Batista Family and their role in the crimes of the Almonte regime. The Batista family is considered to be indicted criminals in Colombia - - all of them. We want Junelle Batista returned to this country to face trial. We expect you to comply."

Continued in Chapter 8


	8. Bonds Of Blood

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE

Chapter 8: "Bonds Of Blood"

A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Endymion could scarcely believe what he'd heard. Chief Minister Gomez, the leader of the Colombian government, wanted Jun to be extradited to Colombia to stand trial for her part in the Almonte regime.

"You're serious?" Endymion asked the man. The computer link translated his question into Spanish. Gomez's response was a stony stare. "Minister Gomez, Jun is only seventeen. She was only four when Almonte fell. What possible connection could she have had to anything Almonte or his men did?"

"Do you intend to comply?" Gomez demanded.

"Minister," Endymion began, drawing on his centuries of international experience in trying to be as diplomatic as he could, "perhaps there is something I'm not seeing. You want to hold someone accountable for a crime who was a four year old child at the time of the crime? Is there some indication that she participated in anything that was being perpetrated by her father or his associates?"

"She has his blood," Gomez replied, squashing down his anger and struggling to stay rational. "She has his genes."

"Well you can't prosecute her for that," Endymion argued. "Minister, I understand that the Almonte period is a painful one for you and your people. I understand that a thirst for - - for justice is still in you, probably in overwhelming fashion. Please don't . . ."

"You don't understand," Gomez snapped, "King Endymion! You're an outsider. You're someone who turned a blind eye when it happened. You don't know. You don't know what she is - - what she represents."

"Minister Gomez," Endymion exhaled. "With all due respect, you don't understand who she is, or who she's become. You can't hold her accountable for something she had no part of, no knowledge of or no control over. That isn't justice, not by any possible definition. You can't persecute her for her genealogy. To do that . . ."

"Don't bring up her genealogy!" Gomez snarled. "It does not help your case!"

"Well I can't see any other reason for your zeal in punishing her," Endymion replied. "Jun can't possibly have anything . . ."

"HER MOTHER WAS MY WIFE!" bellowed Gomez, his features twisted in anguish.

Endymion stared in horror.

* * *

Vesta watched Grindlewyn and Palla-Palla walk down the hall to one of the balconies on the south face of the palace. Her teeth ground and her hands clenched into fists.

"She'll be all right," Ceres whispered to her. "I think this Grindlewyn is on the level about his feelings for her."

"Yeah?" Vesta replied, continuing to stare. "Well I think he's been nothing but trouble since he showed his face here."

"We COULD say the same about you," Ceres sniffed. Vesta's head snapped around and she glared at Ceres.

"Vesta, she's seventeen," Sailor Moon told her. "Let her make her own decisions."

"Up here, she's still five!" snapped Vesta, pointing to her head. "And this clown knows that!"

"You can't be sure," Sailor Moon responded. "Vesta, you can protect her, but you can't live her life for her. Palla-Palla has to have the chance to experience life, good and bad, or she's not really living. Take the advice of someone who has experience with over-protective loved ones: Back off a little and let her walk on her own."

"She's making sense, Vesta," Juno added. "I don't want to see Palla-Palla hurt anymore than anyone else does. But she's got to have the freedom to make the choice. It's not like she's incompetent. She's just naive."

"Yeah? Well none of you are going to be the one she runs to, crying her eyes out when it goes down wrong!" grumbled Vesta. She blew out a breath of frustration. "All right, I'll let her handle it. But if he hurts her, he better find a really deep hole to crawl into."

Saturn walked up to Sailor Venus. Venus was talking with Rei and Serenity.

"Venus-Sensei?" Saturn ventured. "Will we be resuming class?"

"After what happened here? I don't see the point," Venus replied.

"You're just looking for an excuse to shirk your responsibilities again," scowled Rei.

"Oh, did you read that, little miss psychic?" Venus bristled. "Well read this!"

She stared directly at Rei. Suddenly Rei gasped in surprise and indignation. The priest turned and huffed off. Venus took on a smug look while Serenity chased after Rei.

"I'm," Saturn began anxiously, "going to go see if Mizuno-Sensei needs me in the infirmary."

Out on the balcony, Palla-Palla and Grindlewyn surveyed the grounds surrounding the palace, and the skyline of Crystal Tokyo beyond that.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Grindlewyn offered. "Myrah is a very dear woman. I had no idea her feelings for me ran that deeply."

"Why don't you like her?" Palla-Palla inquired.

"I do. I've great respect for her," Grindlewyn said. "I just - - cannot be for her what she wants me to be. It's one of the cruelties of life, I fear."

"She said you were giving up all your responsibilities," Palla-Palla continued. "Those are very important. Palla-Palla's sensei all tell her that. Palla-Palla has to live up to her responsibilities or she lets other people down."

"My 'responsibilities' are mostly ceremonial and administrative," Grindlewyn replied. Palla-Palla stared at him like she didn't understand. It caused the sprite to smile. "I perform certain rituals and I tell other sprites what to do. It's not essential that I do it. I have three brothers, all of whom would gladly step in and do it. I won't be missed that much."

"Miss Myrah-Ma'am would miss you," Palla-Palla said. Grindlewyn turned to her.

"If I went back," he asked earnestly, "would you miss me?"

"Palla-Palla doesn't know," she told him.

"Honest to a fault," he grinned. "That's why the truth sometimes hurts coming from you, My Lady."

"Palla-Palla is sorry," she said, her face turned up in sadness.

"Don't be sad," Grindlewyn said floridly, taking her hand and kissing it. "I'll always know where I stand with you, and how much more I have to work to get you to see me as I see you. It's one of the things that makes you such a beautiful spirit."

"Nobody's ever called Palla-Palla beautiful. Cere-Cere is the beautiful one. So is The Princess. Palla-Palla has always been - - Palla-Palla."

"You've a beauty that outshines them all," he assured her. "Tell me, My Lady, what do you like to do best?"

"That's easy. Palla-Palla likes to play with her dollies. Her dollies have always been her friends, even when nobody liked her."

"Is that so now?" Grindlewyn replied.

He walked over to a potted bush on the balcony. Covering one of the branches with his hand, he glanced over at her and smiled. Pulling his hand palm up, the branch lay in his hand. Then it began to reshape itself. Growing and changing, the green wilted away and the brown wood altered. Within seconds, an eight inch miniature figure of Palla-Palla, honed in wood, sat in his palm. The figurine Palla-Palla looked up sweetly and expectantly at them.

"Ooooh!" gasped Palla-Palla. "You're very good!"

"The subject makes the sculpture," he replied.

"Who is it?"

"Why, it's you," he chuckled.

"Palla-Palla looks like that?" Palla-Palla asked. "She seems too graceful to be Palla-Palla."

"It's only a fair to middling representation of you. But I would be honored if you'd accept it."

"Palla-Palla can have this?" she asked.

"Another doll for your collection," he smiled.

The grin on Palla-Palla's face threatened to burst off of her. Suddenly she lunged forward, her arm around his neck, and hugged him. And just as suddenly she backed away.

"Oopsie," Palla-Palla frowned. "Palla-Palla shouldn't have done that. That was forward and the nuns at the orphanage told her not to be forward." Grindlewyn reached down and draped her arm back around his neck.

"You be as forward as you like," he told her. And something passed between them. "Have you ever been kissed, My Lady?" he asked softly.

"No," Palla-Palla answered.

So Grindlwyn leaned in and kissed her.

* * *

"We checked the genetic files," Chief Minister Gomez mumbled, staring at something other than Endymion. "My Rita - - it was my Rita."

"Minister Gomez," Endymion began gently.

"When I was part of the resistance," Gomez continued distantly, in a soft, haunted voice, "anyone who knew me became a target of Almonte's Police. He jailed my father and my mother, my sister and younger brother. All of my friends, most of whom weren't a part of the resistance, they all went into Almonte's hellish prison. All they were guilty of was the high crime of having known me. I'm sure it was Batista's doing. They couldn't get me, so they got at me through the ones I loved, hoping to draw me out or to isolate me."

Endymion noticed a quiver to the man's mouth. He could only imagine the cauldron of emotion that was bubbling beneath the surface of this man.

"And then Rita, my wife," Gomez continued. "She fought with the resistance, too. But we miscalculated - - over-extended ourselves - - she was captured. I never saw her again. Never. Not even her body. We found out later that Batista had prisoners exposed to thoride radiation. It disintegrates organic matter very slowly - - and very painfully. When I think of my Rita enduring that, and I couldn't get to her - - couldn't help her."

A shuddering breath escaped Minister Gomez. He took a moment to let the welling emotion subside. Endymion was respectfully silent.

"After Almonte fell," Gomez explained, "we found out what happened to all the prisoners who just seemed to disappear. The men were tortured and experimented on. The woman were raped, raped until they became pregnant, then forced to bear the children. Batista must have known who Rita was. He must have raped her personally until she conceived, then forced her through nine grueling months of torture, with HIS child growing inside of her. And when she delivered - - delivered Junelle Batista, he had her executed - - and kept the child as a souvenir." Tears trickled down the craggy face of the man. "A souvenir of his triumph over me. Now do you see, King Endymion? Now do you see the price she has to pay?"

"Minister Gomez," Endymion began softly, "I sympathize with what you've gone through. I understand your anger. If someone had done that to my wife, I might feel just as you do. But blaming Jun for this is not justice."

"I gave up on justice a long time ago," Gomez replied. "I want Junelle Batista, because she is the living symbol of EVERYTHING my poor Rita and thousands, tens of thousands of other Colombian women had to endure at the twisted hands of Major Batista and his men."

"Or she and the other children born of these atrocities are just the latest innocent victims of the evil perpetrated for all those years," Endymion argued softly. "Heinous acts such as the ones General Almonte and his pack committed reverberate for decades after, and touch many lives beyond those they physically touched. Those children are not responsible for the crimes of their ancestors, no more than you would be responsible for a crime your father might have committed. If you don't want her for justice, then I can only conclude you want her for revenge. And that would bring you down to Almonte and Batista's level."

Gomez scowled. He wouldn't look at Endymion, fixing his gaze on something on his desk to the right of his computer.

"Will you turn over Junelle Batista?" he reiterated.

"Not if you want her to satisfy a need for vengeance," Endymion replied, "no."

The communication abruptly cut off. Endymion sat back and brooded on the confrontation. And he brooded on one other thing: Should he tell Jun what he had learned?

* * *

Cere walked into the quarters she shared with her three adoptive sisters. She found Jun staring out the window that opened out onto the west side of the palace grounds. Jun heard the door hiss open and closed, but didn't move to look.

"Where's Ves?" Jun mumbled.

"Glaring down the hall at the entrance to the south balcony," Cere sighed. "I think she's waiting for Grindlewyn to make a wrong move so she'll have a reason to kill him. I am SO glad she doesn't take that kind of interest in MY love life. I wouldn't get any action at all." Cere ambled up to the window. "So what's so interesting out here?"

"I don't know," Jun mumbled.

"Brooding again?" Cere frowned.

"I'm not brooding," Jun countered.

"Your eyes aren't red from the sun," Cere answered. "And I can see the tear tracks."

"What if I'm like him?" Jun asked.

"You're not 'like' him," Cere fumed.

"Maybe that's why I ended up in the Dead Moon Circus."

"I ended up there, too, and my dad was a diplomat. Jun, there is no genetic predisposition to being evil!"

"Do you know how many people he killed?" Jun whispered.

"No, but you're so obsessive-compulsive, you probably know the figure to the person," Cere replied.

"I'm not being obsessive!" Jun huffed. "I guess - - I'm trying to understand. How does a person put that many people to death, apparently without even being bothered by it - - and at the same time has enough love in his heart to conceive a child?"

"You're confusing 'love' and 'sex'," Cere countered. "You weren't his wife's baby, remember?"

"But he took me in," Jun argued. "Every report I can find says he raised me like his own child. Does a cruel, hateful man do that?"

Cere shrugged.

"And his wife took me in, too," Jun continued. "She didn't have to do that. I was the child of another woman. But she took me in, like I was her own. Why? What kind of person would be kind enough to do that?" Jun emitted a thunderous sigh. "I wish I could remember those times!"

"Don't you remember anything?" Cere prodded.

"Not before the accident. Bits, fragments of memories - - being in a smooth tub, someone bathing me. A smell of cocoa. A green dress," Jun recalled. "And that's another thing: What happened? How did I end up on the hull of that craft in the Amazon? Who was Major Batista running from? The Black Moon drones? The revolutionaries? Someone else? And if he was taking me and his wife along, he must not have expected to come back. Where was he going? And the people who killed them - - why did they let me go? Did they leave me for dead, or did they let me go on purpose? Are they going to come after me once word gets out who I am?"

"Jun, you're giving me a headache," Cere scowled. "It's the past. Why do you care?"

"Because I think I should," Jun responded. "A lot of people died, and I didn't. And I don't understand why."

"Well, Padre Portillo would say it's God's plan," Cere shrugged. "But then, I never went to church much after mom and dad died."

"Except when the Sisters made us," Jun said, with the hint of a smirk. That drew a return smirk from Cere.

"Cere-Cere! Jun-Jun!" Palla-Palla exclaimed as she burst into the room, Ves close on her heels. "Guess what happened!"

"What happened?" Jun asked patiently.

"Palla-Palla kissed a boy!" the girl blurted out. "On the lips!"

"Who, that Grindlewyn character?" Ves demanded. "Did he force himself on you?"

"No," Palla-Palla frowned. "Palla-Palla wanted to do it."

"So what was it like?" Cere smirked.

"Warm," Palla-Palla began, searching her limited vocabulary to describe what she felt. "And wet. Palla-Palla felt funny. Kissing a boy is different from when Palla-Palla kissed her mommy."

"Did you like it?" Cere inquired as Jun and Ves looked on.

Palla-Palla thought. "Yes, she did."

"Did you like it because it was Grindlewyn," Cere asked her, "or because it was a boy?"

Palla-Palla thought some more. "Palla-Palla thinks it was the second one."

Cere gave her a saucy look. "Welcome to the club, my dear," she said and draped her arm around her "sister".

"Hmph!" snorted Ves.

Suddenly Palla-Palla turned around and looked at Ves with surprise.

"No, Ves-Ves, Mr. Grindlewyn-Sir didn't get into Palla-Palla's panties," Palla-Palla said. "He didn't even try."

"I," sputtered Ves in surprise and embarrassment. "Um, that is - - oh, FORGET IT!" she roared and headed for her room. Palla-Palla looked on, mystified, while Cere doubled over with laughter.

"Hey guys!" Jun exclaimed abruptly, grabbing everyone's attention. "Look at this!"

The three girls ran to the window and peered out. The grounds around the palace and all the streets branching off into Crystal Tokyo were packed for nearly a hundred meters in all directions by strangers. They weren't Japanese, by any stretch of the imagination. If anything, they seemed closer to the race Grindlewyn and Myrah were from.

"One of you alert palace security, see if they know!" Jun commanded. "I'll call The Princess and find out where she is!"

Continued in Chapter 9


	9. Enemies At The Gate

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE  
Chapter 9: "Enemies At The Gate"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Hotaru approached her quarters. Ami hadn't needed her and sent her home. Minako had called off classes because of the earlier attack. She was headed home now, hoping that Haruka wasn't there. She still couldn't deal with Haruka yet.

What she wanted to do was call Yutaka. But Yutaka was probably in the middle of his classes and she didn't want to disturb him. And she had this nagging fear that after what had happened, he didn't want to talk to her. The very thought made her want to expire right then and there. Life without Yutaka didn't hold out much appeal to her.

The door to the quarters she shared with Haruka and Michiru hissed shut behind her. Tensely Hotaru looked around. She could hear Michiru working in her studio. Thankfully Haruka wasn't around. The tiny lass exhaled with relief.

"Is that you, Haruka?" Michiru called out from the studio.

"It's me, Mama!" Hotaru identified herself. "Aino-Sensei dismissed class early."

She hurried to her room and closed the door behind her. What to do, what to do? Aino-Sensei hadn't assigned any homework. She'd just talked to Usa in class, so there was no reason to call her for at least an hour. Maybe she could do a little extra work on her medical studies and try to get ahead. Or maybe she could practice her telekinesis some more. That thought had appeal. Then the environmental control computer signaled Michiru was at the door.

"Yes, Mama," Hotaru said, signaling the environmental computer to open the door. There was an air of resignation in her voice.

Michiru walked in and took a seat on the side of Hotaru's bed. Michiru knew why Hotaru had closed herself up in her room right after coming from class. Hotaru didn't want to chance having to talk to Haruka. Hotaru suspected this, knowing how perceptive her Mama was. She didn't really want to talk to Michiru, either. She kind of knew what Michiru was going to talk about and whose side she'd be on. But Hotaru didn't see any way out of it, other than running away and never coming back. And she couldn't do that.

"First of all, Haruka wants me to stress to you how sorry she is for what happened," Michiru said with a calm earnestness. "It wasn't her intention to embarrass you or Yutaka. She was only concerned."

"Mama, why does she hate Yutaka?" Hotaru asked pre-emptively, almost on the verge of tears.

"Haruka doesn't hate Yutaka," Michiru assured her.

"Yes she does! She won't even use his name! And she's always putting him down!" Hotaru spat. "She hates him!"

"She doesn't. Hotaru, she's teasing you. Haruka loves to tease. It's sort of a cautious intimacy with her. It's one of her ways of gauging how strongly someone feels without revealing her own feelings." Michiru grinned. "And you do make a very easy target. If you didn't feel so strongly about Yutaka, you wouldn't react the way you do. It's Haruka's way of finding out that you actually do love him without having to ask you straight out."

"I don't think that's the only reason," Hotaru scowled.

"No," Michiru sighed, "and that's something else you have to understand about Haruka. Haruka doesn't - - trust very easily. She's had more than her share of misfortune and it's colored her view of others. And she's seen what people are capable of, particularly boys of Yutaka's age. And she doesn't want that to happen to you."

"Yutaka would never do anything bad to me!" Hotaru maintained.

"And she's coming around to that," Michiru assured her. "But Haruka will always be a very tenacious skeptic."

"She's trying to drive him away," Hotaru claimed.

"Well, life is a series of adversities," Michiru told her. "We don't get anything handed to us. If Yutaka loves you as much as you think he does, nothing Haruka can do is going to drive him away. And if she does manage to drive him away, maybe he didn't love you as much as you thought he did."

Hotaru looked down, wanting to argue but not knowing how.

"But why did she have to," Hotaru struggled to say, "embarrass him like that?"

"As I said, it wasn't her intention to embarrass him, or you," Michiru reiterated. "She was just - - concerned. You were in an unusual and unexpected place and she wanted to find out why."

"So that's why she came looking for me? Because she thought Yutaka had me trapped in that storage room and was raping me? That's horrible!"

"Haruka didn't know what to think," Michiru assured her. "She just wanted to make sure you were OK."

"She doesn't trust me," Hotaru scowled.

"Well if you hadn't been skulking around behind our backs," Michiru said, calmly but with the cutting precision of a surgeon, "maybe she would have." Hotaru stared at her like she'd been slapped. "Trust isn't a right, Hotaru. It's something that's earned. You deliberately misled us. You can't do that and expect people to trust you."

"What was I supposed to do?" howled Hotaru. "Tell you Yutaka and I were going to find a secluded spot and make love?"

"Well, I can't vouch for how Haruka would have reacted to that," Michiru replied, unable to keep the smile from her face. "I'm just saying that Haruka's not the only one at fault for this incident. She was too paranoid, granted. But you and Yutaka did bring some of it on yourselves." She reached out and captured the teen's hand. "I know what it's like to want someone so badly that you can't think straight, that all you want is to be with that person. But part of growing up is realizing that you can't always indulge yourself. There's nothing I'd like better than to spend the rest of my life in a warm little cocoon, pressed up against Haruka. But life and responsibility must be served."

Hotaru looked down. Michiru could see she didn't like hearing this, but that the message was getting through.

"Besides, catering to responsibility makes the times you can indulge that much better," Michiru added. "We know you love Yutaka. NOW we know you two are sexually active. You don't have to skulk. We only ask that you watch your health and your conception rules; you don't let your other responsibilities slide; and that you show a little restraint and not indulge every time you get the whim." She patted Hotaru's hand. "That's fair, isn't it?"

Reluctantly Hotaru nodded.

"And try to find a little more romantic spot than a storage closet," Michiru smirked.

"It's not where you are," Hotaru said, still looking down out of embarrassment, "it's who you're with."

"True," Michiru smiled. "But nothing gets you in the mood faster than satin sheets." She gently forced Hotaru to look at her. "Now, do you think you can forgive your papa?"

Hotaru hesitated. "I guess," she said reluctantly.

Michiru caressed the girl's cheek lovingly. She got up to leave. Just then, both Hotaru and Michiru's senshi communicators signaled an alert. Immediately the two opened their communicators and took the emergency calls.

* * *

Endymion sat in his office, staring at his computer monitor without actually seeing it. His conversation with Colombian Chief Minister Gomez, and the revelations that conversation brought, weighed upon him. At length, he felt a soft hand on the top of his head. Looking up, the King found his Queen standing beside him.

"What is it, Endymion?" Serenity asked, her tone and manner geared to help and not to judge.

"I learned something terrible about Jun," he replied with a fatigue born of a thousand years of frustration. "About her past."

"What is it?"

Endymion brought her hand down to his face and kissed her palm. "You're not going to want to know."

"If you say so," Serenity replied kindly, but sadly, "I'll let it go at that. But the heavier the burden, the easier it is to bear with help."

"Yes," Endymion offered absently. "We've been at this a thousand years - - and still things like Almonte happen. Sometimes I despair."

"It'll happen," Serenity told him, pulling his head to her abdomen. "Perhaps we won't be here to see it, but it will happen. We've planted the seed. All we can do is protect it and nurture it until it's ready to bloom."

The mood was suddenly pierced by an alert signal. Moments later, a message cut into the items on Endymion's monitor. Both monarchs stiffened in anticipation of trouble.

Sailor Moon burst into her father's office and found him in communication with the security team at the front gate. Serenity was perched over his shoulder listening to the report as well. The young senshi approached the desk so she could better hear what was being said.

"They're ignoring our orders to disperse," the gate guard captain told them.

"How did they get through the defense perimeter?" Endymion demanded.

"Just walked through, your majesty," the captain reported. "Defense plasma fields have no effect on them. So far they haven't made any kind of attack, but I don't know how I'd defend against it if they did. Not if the plasma fields didn't stop them."

"Have they said what they want?" Serenity asked.

"The leader is demanding to speak to the sovereign of this land," the captain said.

Serenity straightened up. "Well, we'd better go see what he wants."

"Mom!" gasped Sailor Moon.

"He's willing to talk," argued Serenity. "If it will avoid a confrontation, I'm just as willing."

"And what if he wants you and Dad down there so he has a better shot at killing you?" Sailor Moon countered.

"Trust can't be earned unless it's given, dear," Serenity responded. And once more Sailor Moon was reminded that her mother had more faith than she had. The teen's jaw clenched in frustration.

"Try to stay behind me if possible," Endymion asked his wife as he rose from his desk. "You have a point, but so does Sailor Moon."

"Of course you do, Honey!" gasped Serenity. "I didn't mean to sound as if you didn't!"

"Yeah, right, let's go," Sailor Moon sighed.

"You stay here," Endymion told her.

"But Pop!" Sailor Moon began to protest.

"If something does happen," Endymion explained, "you have to be able to carry on for us." He saw she was about to protest again. "I mean it!"

She wanted to argue, but she knew that look. Frustration swamped her and she folded her arms over her chest to hold her anger in. Once her parents were out of the room, Sailor Moon ran to the window.

"What's going on?" Sailor Saturn asked, having traced Sailor Moon to her father's office through her communicator.

"The place is surrounded by an army. They kind of look like sprites, like Grindlewyn, you know? Mom and Pop are going to see what they want now." Sailor Moon turned anxiously to her friend. "Could you go down and look out for them? I've got to stay here 'where it's safe'."

Saturn grimaced. "Actually, Neptune told me to stay here and guard you," she told her friend. "The elders will all be with the king and queen. And I think the Asteroids may be down there, too."

"Well, if that's what she told you," Sailor Moon said, peering back out the window. Then she turned away from it and headed for the desk. "I can't see anything out of that window. Maybe I can link to the forward security opticals from Pop's computer."

Sitting down at her father's desk, Sailor Moon looked the screen over. She smiled triumphantly.

"Good! He didn't have time to lock it," the teen said, her fingers dancing over the crystal studs of the computer's input panel.

"Couldn't you just hack it?" Saturn asked wryly.

"He keeps changing the code on me," Sailor Moon chuckled. "I'm good, but Pop is way too tough to hack when his guard's up. Yeah, here we go."

Sailor Moon and Saturn could see the forward gate. As she brought the audio up, they saw King Endymion and Queen Serenity emerge from the palace. The royal couple stopped about five meters from the gate.

Two men emerged from the gathered army surrounding the palace. They were each older males, dressed in thick leather vests that doubled as armor in ancient times, and metal helmets. Boots and wrist guards were of the same thick leather. On the right, the one man had a squashed, lined face denoting years of experience. His head was thick with bushy blond hair streaked with gray, with thick droopy eyebrows and a thick, droopy mustache. His squat frame was muscular and blocky. In one hand was a gnarled staff made of a stained redwood. The other man was slightly taller, slightly leaner and slightly less muscular than his companion. His hair was snow white and knotted at his shoulder, though the trail came down to his waist. He had a longer face, and his eyes were dour, his brow knit and his mouth cast in a scowl. He carried a wooden totem with a straight handle and an oval body, almost like a tennis racket with no strings.

"You are the sovereigns of this land?" the blond man asked gruffly.

"I am King Endymion of Crystal Tokyo," Endymion told him. "This is my wife, Queen Serenity."

"I am King Halleffle of the Thessleland," the man proclaimed. He gestured to the man on his left. "This is . . ."

"I can speak for myself, you old buzzard," sneered the other man. "I am King Gorphyn of the Faarswich.

"I'm pleased to know you both," Serenity smiled and bowed to them. "Why have you come?"

"My worthless son is here, shirking his duties, bringing shame upon me and insult upon this sorry excuse for a king," Halleffle said, nodding at Gorphyn. Gorphyn answered with a contemptuous glare at Halleffle. "I've come to drag his contemptible self home so he can do what is required of him. You will hand him over immediately and we will go."

Serenity was clearly taken aback by this, as well as by the squat king's belligerence. Among the elder senshi, who were gathered outside the palace, flanking the king and queen, Jupiter and Uranus tensed for an anticipated attack, while Mercury studied her computer and Mars studied the two sprite kings.

"King Halleffle," Endymion began with measured tones, "we aren't holding your son. He isn't even in the palace, to our knowledge. He tends to come and go as he pleases."

"You've got that right," muttered Halleffle.

"And how do we know you're not covering for him?" King Gorphyn asked coldly.

"My word of honor isn't enough?" Endymion replied with hinted challenge.

"And even if we were giving him sanctuary, he doesn't want to go back," Serenity piped up.

"The boy has responsibilities," Halleffle growled. "He's to be wed to Gorphyn's daughter. It's been arranged."

"But he doesn't want to marry Myrah," Serenity countered.

"Why? What's wrong with my daughter?" roared Gorphyn.

"He doesn't love her," Serenity responded.

"Love? What's that got to do with it?" Halleffle exclaimed. "I didn't marry for love and neither did my father! I married her because it was my duty!"

"You poor man," Serenity offered.

"Oh and it's pity now?" Gorphyn said with a raised eyebrow. "We want none of your sympathy, Your Highness. Our traditions are ours and you'll respect them or you'll be silent." He raised the talisman in his hand up and pointed it at Serenity. "We want the youth. You'll produce him or you'll suffer for harboring him."

"We don't want a confrontation," Endymion said, stepping in front of Serenity. "But we will not be threatened. Grindlewyn is not here. And if he were here, I would need a better reason to hand him over against his will than your threats."

"He's my son," Halleffle said menacingly. "His will does not come into account here. I'll take him by force if I must, but I will have my boy back."

Watching this from the south balcony on the fourth floor living quarters were the Asteroid Senshi. Though they could see the elder senshi standing by, ready to protect the king and queen, they were still anxious and ready to act.

"I knew this Grindlewyn character was trouble," Vesta muttered sourly.

"You can't help who your parents are," Juno told her. "Isn't that what you always say?"

"I don't take advice from Colombians," Vesta needled her with a sideways smirk.

"Pallas doesn't understand," Pallas protested. "Why is Mister Grindlewyn-Sir's Daddy being so mean? Mister Grindlewyn-Sir doesn't want to go back. And he says that his brothers can do what he's supposed to do. Why is he going to all this trouble just to get Mister Grindlewyn-Sir back?"

"If I understood adults, maybe I could tell you," Ceres told her. "Maybe he's got his armor in a bunch because Grindlewyn defied him."

"Or maybe Grindlewyn's refusal to marry Myrah is messing up a lot of political things between the two peoples," suggested Juno. Her mouth hardened. "Still, that's no reason to come across like a petty dictator and try to bully your plan into happening. A lot of innocent people could get hurt."

"So what are we waiting for?" fumed Vesta. "They don't look like the type who'll talk a problem out. Let's just wade in and kick them back to where they come from."

"Beats me why you never tried out for the diplomatic corps," scowled Ceres. "Take it from someone who ACTUALLY KNOWS a little bit about diplomacy . . .!"

"Hey!" Vesta exclaimed suddenly. "Where'd Pallas go?"

Everyone whirled around, but Sailor Pallas was nowhere to be found.

Continued in Chapter 10


	10. The War Of The Elementals

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE  
Chapter 10: "The War Of The Elementals"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

"And that's your final word then?" King Halleffle asked. Beside him, King Gorphyn glowered.

"We won't hand someone over against his will," Endymion replied. "Not if his only crime is exercising his own mind."

Gorphyn turned and gestured to the assembled army. Two more sprites emerged and walked over to join them. One of the sprites was stocky, wearing pale blue skin and possessing long white hair and a long white mustache. His eyes were aquamarine pools. The other had ruddy skin, a whip-like build and bushy red-orange hair. Both wore the same type of leather armor as the other two kings did. As they approached, the sprite with the red-orange hair stopped short the moment he set eyes on Sailor Mars. It didn't escape the notice of the others.

"Ferroc!" barked Halleffle. "You're needed!"

"I can't," King Ferroc replied, his eyes never leaving Sailor Mars the entire time. "I can't oppose her. My Lord and master wouldn't allow it." Abruptly he turned and walked away. "You're on your own this time."

"We had an agreement!" bellowed Halleffle.

"This abrogates all agreements," Ferroc said. "Call on me for anything else. I cannot oppose this one."

"COWARD!" Halleffle screamed. Ferroc whirled and faced him.

"Keep a civil tongue, Halleffle," Ferroc snarled, "or I'll have your head!" With that, he turned back and signaled to the gathered army. Some of the soldiers began to break away and leave.

"What was that all about?" Sailor Jupiter asked Venus and Mars. "Who was that guy?"

"A fire elemental," Mars remarked. "Probably the king. I recognize the aura. And I think he recognized me as a fire priestess."

"Guess it pays to have friends in high places," chuckled Venus. Mars just looked on confidently.

"King Halleffle, King Gorphyn," Serenity began, "it isn't too late . . ."

"Enough words!" Gorphyn barked.

Signaling with his staff, Gorphyn ordered his troops into action. As one, all the soldiers who resembled him raised their hands to the sky. Immediately the winds picked up. Endymion's clothes changed into his battle armor, while the senshi crouched into defensive positions.

Her hair and skirt whipping in the cyclonic winds, Serenity lifted her arms to the sky and then spread them out to either side of her body. And just as suddenly as they had kicked up, the cutting winds were no longer battering the castle and the senshi who guarded it. The winds were hitting an energy barrier Serenity had erected to shield the palace.

"World . . ." Sailor Uranus began, her hand extended, gathering geo-force.

"Uranus, no!" Serenity cried out. "Don't attack them, please!"

"What do you intend to do, hold them at bay for the rest of your life?" Uranus shot back.

"No," Serenity replied calmly. "Only until they realize the futility of their actions."

"She thinks we're beaten," Gorphyn snickered.

"She underestimates us, I wager," Halleffle replied. And he pointed with his staff.

The ground around the palace shook. Turning to see, the senshi found gigantic plants pushing up from the ground at the base of the palace itself. The trees and plants were so thick already and growing larger by the moment, so large that the foundation of the palace itself began to crumble and split.

* * *

"Pallas!" Vesta yelled as she frantically ran down the corridor. "Pallas, where are you?"

Vesta searched frantically as Ceres and Juno divided their attention between their sister and the wolves at the door. But their search was in vain. Pallas was on a different floor. In the second floor ballroom of the palace, Pallas walked through the grand, looming door. Looking to confirm what she sensed, the senshi found Grindlewyn leaning against a wall by a serviette. Crossing the huge ballroom, Pallas approached him. Grindlewyn looked at her, but guilt stilled his tongue.

"Your daddy's here," Pallas told him.

"Yes, I can hear him," Grindlewyn sighed. "No doubt they can hear him in China. I apologize for the trouble he's brought."

"He wants you back," Pallas said.

"On his terms," Grindlewyn scowled.

"At least he wants you back," Pallas countered. "Pallas's Mommy doesn't want her back. Pallas writes letters to her every month and doesn't get an answer to any of them."

Grindlewyn looked at her with sympathy. "That, My Lady, is a cruel shame. For someone to reject a fine woman such as yourself - - it's truly a shame that some people are allowed to become parents."

"But if the bad people weren't allowed to become parents, then the world wouldn't have people like Ves-Ves or Jun-Jun," Pallas said.

"Or you," Grindlewyn replied.

"Or you, either," Pallas answered. "And that would be bad."

The sprite smiled at her. "You're kind to say so." His features clouded over and Grindlewyn looked away. "I'm beginning to wonder whether I actually deserve someone as wonderful as you."

"Pallas doesn't understand."

"I've been wondering myself," Grindlewyn began, "seeing Myrah again and seeing how badly I hurt her - - I guess I don't understand, either. Is it so very bad to want control over your own life? Is it such a crime to want to pick your mate, to choose the course of your own life, to not be subject to the demands of others?" Grindlewyn looked at Pallas urgently. "He's here to drag me back - - and I'm suddenly afraid. And I've realized that the thing I'm afraid of most isn't being separated from you. Does someone in love think that way? Am I really in love with you, My Lady? Or are you just a symbol of my freedom and I'm in love with that?"

"Don't you know?" Pallas asked.

"If only I had more time to find out. If only . . ." He turned to Pallas and grasped her upper arms. "Would you go away with me? Far away, far away so that my father and the other kings would have no reason to attack this palace and its people? Would you do that?"

"Go away?" Pallas asked. "And never come back to Crystal Tokyo?" Grindlewyn nodded. Her gaze went to the floor. "Pallas couldn't do that. That would mean she'd never see her sisters ever again. Pallas couldn't do that to them. And Pallas wouldn't want to do that."

"You would if you loved me," Grindlewyn said.

Pallas was silent for a few moments.

"Then Pallas must not love you after all," she finally said, her gaze still on the floor. Grindlewyn's hands slid away from her upper arms. At last she looked up at him. "Pallas is sorry."

"I can always depend upon you to be honest," he smiled forlornly. "Never be sorry for that. I was hoping the answer would be different, but I kind of suspected it wouldn't be. I must not be as dashing as I thought."

Pallas wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know what to say.

"Don't look so guilty, My Lady Palla-Palla. Perhaps I'm not really even in love with you," he continued. "Perhaps it's better that you said 'no'. I think I'd rather see it end this way rather than me finding out later and breaking your heart. In any case, I cannot apologize enough for trifling with your feelings."

"It's OK. Pallas knows you weren't doing it to be mean," Pallas grinned. "And Pallas has never had a boy say that he loved her, so it was a nice thing to feel. And Pallas had never kissed a boy before. That was fun, too."

"For both of us," Grindlewyn said warmly. He cupped the side of her face. "Maybe I am in love with you after all."

Just then, the building shook. Pallas and Grindlewyn looked around anxiously, trying to pinpoint exactly what was happening.

"Mister Grindlewyn-Sir, what is it?" gasped Pallas.

"They've started their attack," Grindlewyn hissed, staring at the ceiling as if he expected armies to appear at any moment. "I must go! I cannot be found! I'll not give up the freedom I've obtained!"

Before Pallas could respond, the sprite turned away from her. In a wink, he was gone, leaving Pallas alone in the ballroom. Another tremor shook the palace.

"But what about us?" she asked no one in particular.

* * *

The tremor shook the entire palace. In the King's office, Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn looked at each other with alarm. Instantly Saturn rushed to the window while Sailor Moon's fingers flew over the crystal studs of the King's computer terminal.

"Where did this storm come from?" Saturn gasped. "It's raining so hard, I can't see anything!"

"We've got bigger things to worry about!" Sailor Moon barked. "According to Pop's external sensor array, there are gigantic plants growing through the foundation of the palace!"

"Is that what's causing the tremors?"

"Yeah! And if they keep growing like this, they could split the foundation wide open and cause the whole palace to collapse onto itself!"

"Yutaka," Saturn gasped to herself, her blood running cold. She knew the man she loved was somewhere in the palace, along with several hundred other palace staff.

"Ceres!" The response snapped Saturn back to reality. She saw Sailor Moon was on her communicator. Saturn ran over to hear what was being said. "There are huge plants trying to split the palace foundation! Can you do anything about them?"

"On my way!" came the response.

"Acknowledged! Juno!" Sailor Moon demanded.

"Yes, Princess!" Juno responded.

"Can you do anything to keep this rain off of the elders?"

"I'll do my best," was the response. Sailor Moon nodded her pride.

"Sailor Moon," Saturn interjected, touching her friend's shoulder. "Maybe we'd better get everyone to the ground floor - - just in case. They can evacuate more easily from there if it becomes necessary."

"Let's do it," Sailor Moon nodded. The two teen senshi ran for the door.

* * *

Not trusting the lifts with the building shaking, Ceres ran to the stairwells. Dumping a seed down the center of the stairwell, Ceres waited until she felt it hit bottom.

"Floral Stimulation!" she commanded.

In seconds, a thick green stalk shot up the center of the stairwell to the floor Ceres was on. Leaping onto the stalk, Ceres straddled it and slid down like she was on a fire station pole. As she slid, she could feel the stalk shake.

"It's resisting me," Ceres whispered to herself. "Those plant elementals out there are trying to control it, too!" Coming to a stop between floors, Ceres stroked the stalk. "Come on, baby," she cooed at the plant. "Don't listen to those guys out there. Just listen to me."

The stalk went rigid again.

"That's a goooood boy," she cooed and kissed the plant, then resumed her trek to the deepest part of the palace.

* * *

"Pallas!" bellowed Vesta as she frantically ran all over the palace looking for her sister. The computer system was off-line due to the tremors, had Vesta even thought to use them to locate Pallas in the first place. The building had shook several times and that only spurred her on to find Pallas even faster. Racing down a corridor, she skidded to a stop at a junction and looked both ways in search of a sign.

And there she was, running up to Vesta. Vesta cut the distance between them and grasped Pallas by the arms.

"Where have you been?" she demanded.

"With Mister Grindlewyn-Sir," Pallas told her.

"Figures," muttered Vesta. "Where is he now?"

"Gone," Pallas reported, an edge of disappointment to her voice. "He was afraid his daddy would find him and punish him."

Memories of her own history with her own father stilled any criticism Vesta had. Instead she looked directly into her sister's eyes.

"Are you OK?" Vesta asked.

"Yes, Pallas is fine. Why is everything shaking? Are we having a earthquake?"

"Something's going down outside with Grindlewyn's dad," Vesta answered. "I think we better . . ."

"Vesta? Pallas?" the call came from their senshi communicators. They engaged the device and saw Sailor Moon. "Sweep the palace! Get everybody to the first level! Then if you've got time, go outside and help the elders with those sprites!"

"Yes, Princess! Pallas will do that!" Pallas said. She shut down her communicator, then started off down the hall. Several feet away, she stopped and turned back to Vesta. "Hurry, Vesta! We have to help out now!"

Vesta grinned. "Right behind you, Stupid."

* * *

Outside, the driving rain brought on by the water sprites aiding King Halleffle and King Gorphyn was pouring in over the wind shield erected by Serenity. Between the whipping wind and the battering rain, Serenity was hard-pressed to maintain her barrier. In addition, the water effectively neutralized Mars and Jupiter, and Mercury didn't dare use her attacks for fear of changing the rain into ice projectiles. And there was the matter of Serenity's steadfast refusal to allow any of them to strike back.

"How long are you going to keep taking this, Serenity?" Uranus demanded.

"Until they wear themselves out and realize that this entire course," Serenity began, flinching at a particularly bad gust of wind and rain slashed at her barrier, "of action is futile."

"Noble, if we were the only ones suffering," Neptune pointed out. "But their attack has endangered everyone in the palace. And this rain is beginning to flood Crystal Tokyo."

Neptune pointed out toward the Promenade. Serenity saw that the streets were ankle deep in water as the sewer system of the city was overloaded. The rain and wind showed no sign of abating. And to punctuate things, a loud groan of shifting stone and mortar peeled out from behind them.

"THERE'S A SIMPLE WAY YOU CAN END THIS!" roared King Halleffle, his squat body drenched but his resolve firm.

"There's another way you can end it, too," Venus told Serenity. "Right now, I'm for taking that way."

"But the way to peace isn't by reverting to violence at the first opportunity!" argued Serenity.

"Even the peaceful man may defend himself from attack and still be considered peaceful," Mars said. "Allowing yourself to be destroyed because you refuse to raise a hand against another isn't peace. It's suicide. There's a difference."

Struggling with her conscience, Serenity turned to the one whose opinion she valued above all others. Endymion locked eyes with her.

"World Shaking!" Uranus called out unexpectedly. Everybody turned and saw the force explosion leave her hand and skitter across the grounds, through Serenity's barrier and into the heart of the surrounding army. The force exploded in the midst of them, scattering sprites and sending them flying awkwardly in every direction.

"Uranus!" screamed Serenity.

"You've given them every chance, Serenity," Neptune interjected coldly. "They're a threat now, to you, to us and to the city. The time for negotiation is over. Now it's time to disperse them."

Neptune raised her hands to use her attack. Serenity was about to move to stop her, when a huge groan split the air. It was the death cry of the palace walls themselves.

"The load-bearing beams have been compromised!" Mercury shouted, her visor down and working. "The entire structure is about to collapse in on itself!"

"Usa!" Serenity gasped softly in horror.

Continued in Chapter 11


	11. Name Thy Cause

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE  
Chapter 11: "Name Thy Cause"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Sailor Moon was in the first floor plaza area of the palace with nearly a hundred palace staff and their families, all of whom lived in the palace itself. Everyone was milling about nervously, waiting for something either good or bad to happen. For herself, Sailor Moon scanned the stairs and the corridor entries nervously, waiting for Saturn, Vesta and Pallas.

"Courage, Maiden," she heard Helios say in her mind. "You must trust in your team to do their jobs efficiently."

"I know, faith," Sailor Moon thought back. "Helios, why is everything I have to be to be Sailor Moon so difficult? When I was four, Mom made it seem so effortless."

"The rose color of memories, Maiden," Helios told her. "If you look back through your eyes of today and not those of a child, you'll see the struggles she had. Her struggles were not that different than yours are."

"Telling me I should have faith in myself, too?" Sailor Moon asked.

"As if you read my mind, Maiden."

"It's not that hard when we're like this," Sailor Moon thought. "I'd stay like this forever, but it's really hard to kiss you this way."

Just then, Sailor Moon spotted Sailor Pallas leading several teens from the ESP class into the lobby. She came up to Sailor Moon as if she knew the senshi wanted to question her.

"This is everyone Pallas could find, Princess," Pallas reported. "Vesta went back into the palace as a birdie. She's checking to see if anyone got missed."

"Did you sweep the place telepathically?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Yes, Princess," Pallas nodded. "Pallas didn't sense anyone, but Vesta still wanted to be sure."

"That's probably a good idea," Sailor Moon nodded. "And if she's in bird form, she can just buzz out of a window if the building collapses."

"Are we going to go outside?" Pallas asked.

"I don't know how much safer it will be outside with that army out there," Sailor Moon mused, "but at least they won't have to worry about the building collapsing on them."

Out of the blue, Sailor Moon saw Yutaka run up. The youth went straight up to her, without thought of the deference to her station that he usually exhibited.

"Do you know where Hotaru is?" he asked desperately.

"She's evacuating staff," Sailor Moon answered. Yutaka started for one of the corridors, but Sailor Moon clamped her hands on his arm and held him back. "You can't go back in there!"

"I have to know she's all right!" Yutaka shouted. He pulled away from Sailor Moon and started for one of the corridors. Then they both spotted Sailor Saturn herding some of the kitchen staff toward the doors. "Hotaru!"

"Yutaka!" Saturn cried, elated to see the man she had been worrying about through her mission.

And a massive groan of rending stone, wood and mortar pealed through the palace.

* * *

"The load-bearing beams have been compromised!" Mercury shouted, her visor down and working. "The entire structure is about to collapse in on itself!"

"Usa!" Serenity gasped softly in horror.

Instantly Queen Serenity dropped her shield and turned to the Crystal Palace. She threw up her hands, glowing silver amid the pelting rain and whistling winds. The cracking, crumbling walls of the structure stopped shifting and held together. Everyone knew it was Serenity holding it together. They all wondered how long she could do it.

"An opening!" exclaimed King Halleffle.

Gesturing with his staff and backed by the chorus of plant sprites behind him, the king sent a huge stalk shooting toward Serenity's back at tremendous speed. Alerted by means only she knew, Sailor Mars turned and saw the stalk headed for Serenity. She drew one of her wards and prayed she wouldn't be too late.

But Endymion acted first. Suddenly the stalk stopped in its tracks, a quivering red rose embedded in the trunk of the plant. No one had even seen him throw it. They all looked to King Halleffle to see what his response would be. There they found another rose, its stem embedded in the King's forehead. Halleffle keeled over backwards.

"World Shaking!" roared Sailor Uranus, her rage at Helleffle's attack manifest. The force bubble skidded along the ground and exploded into the army of King Gorphyn, scattering sprites left and right. A sweeping wave followed, washing even more sprites away.

Even with their leader down, though, the plant sprites kept up their battle plan. From behind Endymion, Uranus and Mercury, stalks shot up at phenomenal speed. Their vines thickened as they clutched at the three, trying to restrain them. Attracted by Mercury's cry of alarm, Jupiter turned and grabbed the plant, trying to rip it out of the ground through sheer brute force.

"Stand back, Jupe!" Venus shouted, pointing her finger at the plant. Instantly, Jupiter complied. "Crescent Beam!"

Golden energy lanced out from her extended finger and severed the plant at ground level. The clutching vines died away and Mercury was able to break free. Venus turned to free the others, but saw it wasn't necessary. Mars had used a ward on the plant holding Uranus, allowing her to jerk free. And Endymion merely hacked loose with his sword.

"Crescent Beam?" Jupiter asked, as it was an attack Venus rarely used anymore.

"I'm not going to waste all my energy on a Posey," Venus replied.

"Careful!" Mercury shouted to be heard above the still whistling wind.

She directed everyone's attention to the ground. New plants were pushing up from the surface and new growth came from the plants already severed. Venus and Mars crouched to deal with them anew, while Endymion backed up to protect Serenity.

* * *

Atop the top branch of a tree within the queen's garden, Grindlewyn peered out onto the battlefield. It was a risk he was taking. So far, none of the sprite army nor any of the kings had sensed his presence. Peering out like this invited discovery. He only did it for two reasons. Discovering a means of escaping the area and his father's armies necessitated taking such a risk. To stay meant eventual capture, and he didn't want to go back - - particularly not now with his father in such a state.

But he also worried about the effect this skirmish was having on the people of Crystal Tokyo and of the Crystal Palace. Grindlewyn hadn't wished any of this for them. There was no ill will in him for the people of the palace. At best they'd been truly kind and open to him. At worst, they'd held benign indifference - - all except Palla-Palla's sister. And he couldn't really begrudge Ves her hostility toward him. She was only trying to protect her sister from harm. It was praiseworthy, if anything.

And then there was Palla-Palla. Her charm, her innocence, her truthfulness and her beauty had sent his poet's spirit singing. If only he could make her love him as he thought and felt he loved her. He did love her, didn't he? This was love he was feeling, wasn't it?

But it wasn't to be. If only his father could see his side of things, how wonderful everything could be. But Halleffle was trapped in the same social and political mores that he wanted to trap Grindlewyn into, and he wouldn't change. The thought of being stuck in that life for the rest of his existence repulsed Grindlewyn. He couldn't do it. He couldn't whither his artist's soul like that.

An opening in the lines surrounding the palace came, spurred on by the counterattacks of the senshi. And Grindlewyn saw his chance to escape. If only Palla-Palla would come with him. But she wouldn't come, and he couldn't stay. He could either sacrifice his ardor for her or his freedom.

And he couldn't sacrifice his freedom - - not when he was this close. Quickly he turned and passed through the gap in the sprite defenses, hoping that his escape wasn't sensed.

* * *

Sailor Juno was watching from the right and behind Sailor Neptune, deferring to the elder senshi. Just then she got a call on her communicator.

"Ceres?" Juno inquired. "How are you doing with that plant?"

"I've got it stopped!" Ceres called back. She stood in the sub-basement of the palace, holding the plant at bay while casting nervous glances at the ceiling. "The root system is all through the walls down here! There's no way it can take anymore!"

"Can you get it to back away long enough for the Queen to fix the structure?" Juno asked.

"No! It's all I can do to hold it where it is!" Ceres reported. "There are too many plant elementals on the other end spurring it on! I can't get it to retreat!"

"Would it help if I can take out some of those plant elementals?" Juno asked.

"Yeah! The more, the better! Can you?"

Juno looked up at the howling wind and the pelting rain. And a thought occurred to her. She was about to inflict suffering on others for her own benefit. Wasn't that what her father had done? Did she have the right?

Then another loud creak pealed through the area, signaling the stress the palace was undergoing. Ceres was still down there. Pallas and Vesta were probably in there, too. So were the Princess and Saturn. And Juno realized that, though she would benefit, her actions wouldn't be just for her benefit.

"VORTEX INSTIGATION!"

Neptune heard her and looked at Juno, then turned back to the skies. The wind, which had been traveling as straight-line gale force winds, was now beginning to swirl. It was small at first, but the winds gathered force, sucking all the rain water into it. Within seconds, a massive water spout seventy feet high began to spin. Relieved of enduring the driving downpour and the biting winds, everyone looked up in awe at the huge waterspout looming over the very palace itself.

Then the waterspout turned and lunged at the gathered armies before the palace front door. It tore through the gathered sprites, tossing them right and left, gouging a path of destruction through their very ranks.

Back down in the basement, Ceres could feel the will being exerted on the giant plant begin to weaken and dim. With a happy pump of her fist, Ceres renewed her attempt to gain control over the plant. It resisted, but couldn't hold out against Ceres' siren call. She got closer and closer to the plant until she reached out and touched its roots.

"That's a good girl," she cooed, stroking the root. "You don't want to come in here. There's no soil or water in here, and no sunlight. Pull back. That's a good girl."

The plant obeyed reluctantly, its root system shifting out of the huge splintering cracks in the foundation wall. Ceres gave the walls a nervous glance, but saw they had a silver glow to them and knew that Serenity was holding them together.

"That's it," she encouraged it. "Push up to the sky and grow tall! Good girl!"

With the immediate threat to the foundation neutralized, Ceres hurried over to the stalk that stood at the base of the stairwell. Climbing onto one of the plant's unusually large fronds, Ceres patted the stalk lovingly.

"Pass me upstairs, please," she requested, then glanced nervously at the walls again. "And hurry!"

Obediently the plant lifted Ceres up and passed her from frond to frond up through the stairwell to the first floor level.

* * *

As Queen Serenity struggled to hold the palace together outside, and Sailor Ceres fought to dominate the massive plant cracking and eroding the foundation below, huge cracks formed in the ceiling of the palace lobby. Everybody looked up at the bowing, faltering ceiling. Terror rose from the gathered staff, the air filling with frightened murmurs.

"Everyone get to the exits!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Don't panic! We'll keep you safe! But get out before the ceiling gives way!"

The security staff went into action, forming two lines that helped filter the crowd out of the exits in as orderly a fashion as could be managed. Sailor Pallas held back, both in order to aid Sailor Moon and for fear that her small body would be crushed in the mass rush for the doors.

Yutaka, though, turned and headed for Sailor Saturn, determined to get her to safety. The ceiling had other ideas. Another peal of rending stone and wood engulfed the lobby. Yutaka stopped and looked up. A huge piece of ceiling gave way and plummeted straight for him.

Sailor Saturn's eyes grew huge.

And it was away before she had conscious perception of it. The mind bolt struck the chunk of stone and it exploded in midair. Yutaka hunched his shoulders and braced for the impact, but all that struck him was fine dust. Saturn herself did more damage to him when she leaped into his arms and crushed herself to him.

"ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?" she wailed, burying her face in his chest.

"Yeah," Yutaka said, still shaken and not quite sure what had happened. He folded his arms around her. "Did you do that?"

"It was away before I knew it!" Saturn sobbed. "I just saw that chunk of ceiling and - - OHHH!"

Yutaka got his hand under Saturn's chin and raised her face up to look at him.

"Thanks," he smiled.

Grinning ear to ear, Saturn choked back a sob and hoisted herself up on Yutaka's broad shoulders. She jammed her mouth to his and they kissed passionately. She didn't feel anything else until she felt Sailor Moon's hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I hate to be a killjoy," Sailor Moon grinned, "but we really got to get out of here."

Saturn nodded happily and the trio headed for the exit.

Outside, Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn took a quick assessment of the situation. Serenity had the building braced, though she couldn't shift her concentration away from it to do anything else. Juno was guiding her waterspout as it scattered the surrounding army of sprites. Just then a bird flew up and perched on Sailor Moon's shoulder.

"Ceres got rid of the plant that was busting up the foundation," it reported with Vesta's voice. "Pallas and I swept the palace. It's all clear."

"And Juno has the army scattered and in disarray," Sailor Moon added, thinking out loud. "Sun Tsu would press the attack and keep them on the run - - really hammer the defeat home so they don't try again. But I really don't want to hurt them. That could have repercussions."

"A violent end goes against everything your mother has worked for and everything you hope to gain in the future," she felt Helios warn her from inside her mind. "And you are wise to fear repercussions."

"But I'm not sure if Moon Gorgeous Meditation will have enough coverage to affect them all," Sailor Moon silently protested to her mentor. "I'm not Mom."

"Faith, Maiden," he thought back. "You have made the correct decision. You need only have faith in yourself that you can make it work."

"And today's word to remember is faith," Sailor Moon murmured to herself. She scanned the hoards of elemental sprites. Though they were scattered, they were still a formidable army. She couldn't let them regroup or the tide of battle might change.

And then - - brainstorm.

"Saturn!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, holding out her hand to her friend. "Combine power with me!"

Without question or hesitation, Saturn clasped Sailor Moon's hand and let her power flow into her friend. That was the trust their relationship had. Sailor Moon felt the power surge into her and for a moment wondered if, combined with Saturn like this, she might rival her mother now. Then her senshi personae clicked in. With her free hand, she summoned the Moon Kaleidoscope and pointed it in the general direction of King Gorphyn and the sprites.

"MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!" she yelled. Her voice echoed shrilly over the battered grounds of the Crystal Palace.

The pink energy that flooded the area had a slightly violet tint to it. It washed over the invading army of elemental sprites like a tidal wave pounding the surf. All the other senshi stopped and watched in growing fascination as Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn, working in tandem, overwhelmed the area with a feeling of charity and love.

"Wow, look at them go!" Jupiter marveled happily.

"They're a very impressive team," Mercury smiled.

"I don't think we ever could have done that," Venus commented in amazement, "and we were the greatest there were."

Mars only grinned proudly, her eyes beginning to tear.

The three kings of the sprites, Hallaffle now recovered enough from Endymion's rose to be able to stand, tried to marshal their troops. Shouting, cajoling, even in a few cases actually pushing them forward, the three refused to give up. But their troops were only there under orders and the joyful influence of Sailor Moon's energy, boosted by Sailor Saturn's power, proved to be more than many of them could resist.

"She's going to do it," Vesta gasped in amazement, transformed back into human form. "She's actually going to wave her magic wand and make this all go away!"

"It's a nice power to have," Juno commented. "I wish I could borrow it now and then."

"What did I miss?" Ceres exclaimed, bounding out of the palace after her plant had lifted her up to the first level.

"The Princess and Miss Saturn-Ma'am are telling all the sprite people to stop being bad and play nice," Pallas told her. Then she grew a wide grin, as if she could sense what Sailor Moon was doing on an entirely different level. "It's so pretty."

The three kings looked at their dwindling forces and then to each other. The king of the water sprites shook his head gravely. Then he turned and headed away from the palace. His followers fell in behind them and together the sprites disappeared into a warp of their own making.

"Forget him!" growled Gorphyn. "We can still be victorious!"

"Open your eyes, you old fool," Halleffle snorted.

Halleffle took three steps forward. Endymion eyed him warily, but the king made no sudden moves. Instead, he sank to one knee and looked up at Endymion.

"We yield!" he said, his voice still bold and ringing, but edged with defeat. "Call off your attack. You've won."

Scowling, but seeing no reasonable alternative, Gorphyn walked up next to Halleffle and knelt as well.

Concluded in Chapter 12


	12. Acceptance

WAR OF CONSEQUENCE  
Chapter12: "Acceptance"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

The two remaining sprite kings knelt in surrender. Their remaining armies knelt as well, awaiting the acceptance and terms of King Endymion and Queen Serenity. But no acceptance came forth. Curiously, King Gorphyn looked up. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were eying them warily, daring them to make a belligerent move. But Endymion and the other senshi were more concerned with Queen Serenity.

"Serenity?" Endymion inquired, while Sailor Moon hovered by his right shoulder anxiously.

"I've got it," Serenity huffed, winded by her efforts. "The palace is stable now. We'll still have to get out the cracks and where the walls have shifted, but it's habitable and it'll hold." Dropping her hands, the Queen stumbled back a step. Endymion caught her from behind and held her up. "Phew! That was too much like work!"

"Mom?" Sailor Moon asked nervously, while Mercury leaned in with a medical sensor.

"She's just a little exhausted," Mercury pronounced. "A little rest and she'll be fine."

"Don't I get a cookie?" Serenity pouted.

"I'll make you a whole pan, Hon'," grinned Jupiter as Venus looked on.

"And I'll make you some tea," Mars added, gently touching her shoulder. Serenity smiled at them.

Nodding that she was all right, Serenity and Endymion approached the kneeling kings.

"We await your pleasure, Your Majesties," King Gorphyn said with some lingering distaste.

"No terms," Endymion said. "We'll consider this a misunderstanding. Halleffle, your son is no longer here. He's decided to live his life his way. My advice, for what it's worth, is to let him."

"And what about his commitment to my daughter?" demanded Gorphyn.

"I have four sons, Gorphyn," Halleffle told him. "Your daughter can have any of the ones who remain. They're probably more reliable than Grindlewyn, anyway."

Gorphyn nodded in satisfaction, while Serenity stared askance at the two.

"I'm sorry if this makes things in your realm more difficult," Serenity offered.

"One of the others can do it," Halleffle shrugged. "It isn't like the tasks are complex."

"Then," Serenity continued, "why was it so important for Grindlewyn to come back?"

"He defied me," Halleffle growled. "I won't have it!"

Serenity's eyes popped. "You," she gasped, "you did all of this because your pride was wounded?"

"A man's pride is an important thing," Halleffle replied stonily. "Sometimes it's all he has."

"Especially if you cling to it so tightly that you let everything else slip through your fingers," Serenity shot back, turning on the man and gliding away. Endymion gave the two kings a look that told them he agreed with his wife, then moved to join her. Halleffle and Gorphyn scowled, then turned and signaled their armies to go home. In seconds they'd all disappeared back into their magical realms.

"You were great, Hotaru!" Yutaka exclaimed, leaning in and grasping Sailor Saturn by the shoulders. Saturn beamed proudly, then leaped up into his arms and the couple kissed passionately, oblivious to whether anyone saw them or not. And twenty feet away, Sailor Uranus watched them with an unreadable expression.

* * *

"Look at this place!" cried Cere when the four asteroids entered their quarters. "It's a wreck!"

Their quarters, like most quarters in the palace, looked like the aftermath of an earthquake. Possessions were on the floor or strewn haphazardly. Furniture was overturned or out of place. An ugly crack in the wall ran from the window almost to Palla-Palla's doll corner. All the dolls had fallen from their shelves and her ornate doll house was on its face. Thankfully it was undamaged.

"My end's not so bad," Ves shrugged, peeking into her room.

"Well you don't own anything, so you don't have to worry!" bellowed Cere angrily. She picked up her computer station and found a huge crack in the crystal screen. "Now I'm going to have to get a new work station! And 'The Renegade Prince' was streaming tonight!"

Realizing what she'd said just as the others had as well, the three girls looked over at Palla-Palla. The teen was kneeling in her doll corner, picking up the doll house and replacing dolls in their display area. She was lingering over the figurine that Grindlewyn had given her.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Palla-Palla," Cere offered. The girl turned to her.

"For what?" she asked, genuinely mystified.

"Well, you're probably really sad that Grindlewyn took off, aren't you?" Jun said, kneeling down next to her.

"Palla-Palla will miss Mister Grindlewyn-Sir," she explained. "He was nice. And he was nice to Palla-Palla. And he was the first boy to kiss Palla-Palla, and she liked it. But she knows he had to leave and she's OK with that."

"So you really didn't love him?" Cere wandered over.

Palla-Palla shook her head. "Palla-Palla knows what love is now. She watched the way Miss Hotaru-Ma'am and Mister Yutaka-Sir are. And she remembered that the Princess and Prince Horsie-Man are like that, too. And that's not the way she felt about Mister Grindlewyn-Sir. He was nice and she wishes he could have stayed, but she's not going to feel as bad as when her Mommy left her and got lost." She stared up at her three sisters. "Does that make sense?"

"Makes sense to me," grunted Ves. "And I say good riddance to the bum."

"But Ves-Ves," Palla-Palla persisted, "Mister Grindlewyn-Sir wasn't a bad person. He just wasn't as strong as you are and didn't have anyone to protect him like Palla-Palla does. So when his daddy was mean to him, all he could think to do was run away."

"Well you don't need a chump like that hanging around," Ves replied. "So we're still better off without him, especially you."

"God, I hope the next time Palla-Palla has a boy interested in her, you're on the other side of the planet!" scowled Cere.

Ves gave her a dismissive wave, which only angered Cere even more. While they bickered, Palla-Palla reached out and grabbed Jun's hand.

"Are you still feeling bad about your daddy?" Palla-Palla asked. "Palla-Palla wishes she hadn't said anything so you wouldn't know and feel so bad about it."

"I'll live," Jun sighed. "It's not the kind of news I was hoping for, but I guess part of growing up is taking the bad with the good. I do kind of wish there was something I could do for all the people he killed. You know - - sort of make up for it. I wouldn't be surprised if a few people hold what he did against me."

"Well Palla-Palla still likes you and still wants to be your sister, no matter what your mean old daddy did," the girl stated adamantly. "And you stuck by Palla-Palla when she learned her daddy was a bad man. Palla-Palla is going to do that for you, no matter what."

Jun leaned over and kissed Palla-Palla on the cheek. Palla-Palla reacted with utter shock.

"Thanks, Palla-Palla," Jun said. Her sister's shock changed to a wide grin of happiness.

* * *

Hotaru paused at the door to her quarters, waiting for the computer to recognize her. She was glad things had worked out between the king and queen and the leaders of the sprites. Right now, though, she wanted to get her medical kit from her room. Even though she was only in work-study at the infirmary, the place would be swamped with people injured during the battle and Mizuno-Sensei could probably use her help. It took all her effort to leave Yutaka. Only his encouragement that she was doing the right thing allowed her to do it. Now she had to actually do it before she weakened again.

The door opened, far too slowly for her taste, and she hurried in.

"Hotaru?" Haruka was standing there. Hotaru stopped and meekly turned. She didn't really want to fight anymore, but that depended on her papa.

"Yes?" Hotaru said meekly, her eyes cast down.

"His name's Yutaka," Haruka stated penitently.

Hotaru looked up at her and the wide, grateful smile that was blooming beneath her large moistening violet eyes made Haruka feel like she'd just conquered the world. The young waif traversed the distance between them and wrapped herself around Haruka's trunk.

"Thank you, Papa," she said.

Haruka just folded her arms around the teen. She didn't say anything else. If she tried, her voice was going to crack from emotion - - and Haruka couldn't let anyone hear that.

* * *

"You have an incoming call from Chief Minister Gomez of Colombia," the reactivated environmental control computer announced. Endymion and Serenity looked at each other quizzically.

"Maybe I better take this in my office," Endymion told her.

"Do you want me to be there?" Serenity asked.

"Let me find out what he wants first," Endymion advised.

Endymion headed off, arriving in his office a few moments later. It was there he found his office computer displaying video from one of the security cameras outside. He smiled to himself.

"That girl," he muttered. "Computer, transfer incoming call here." Endymion sat down and got comfortable. "Chief Minister Gomez," he nodded politely.

"Thank you for taking my call, King Endymion," Gomez said and Endymion noted a more contrite tone to his voice this time. "I hope I'm not calling at a bad time. I understand there is some trouble there."

"It's been handled," Endymion assured him. "What can I do for you?"

Gomez searched for a way to begin.

"I've been," he started, "thinking about what you said before. About the children of the raped prisoners being victims, too. And about what your wife has said - - about hatred begetting hatred. And how the cycle can only be ended by choosing not to hate."

"Yes," Endymion cautiously prodded.

"They're wise words. Perhaps if more of us practiced this, there would be fewer people like General Almonte in the world." Gomez paused. This was clearly hard for him. Being a forgiving person wasn't something that apparently came easy to him at this stage in his life. But he was making the effort and Endymion gave him all the time he needed. "I'm rescinding the extradition demand for Junelle Batista. You're right. She has no connection to Batista's crimes other than the unfortunate circumstances which brought about her birth. None of the children of these crimes bear any guilt in this."

"I think that's a wise choice, Chief Minister," Endymion told him. "Thank you."

Gomez nodded. Endymion was about to disconnect, but hesitated. Gomez looked like he wanted to say more.

"Was there something else, Chief Minister?" Endymion asked.

"The girl - - Junelle," Gomez ventured cautiously. "Would it be possible for me to speak with her? She is - - Rita's child, too."

"I'll leave that up to her," Endymion replied. "If you'll hold the line? I won't be long."

Ten minutes later, Jun was in Endymion's office. The teen sat down and looked at the strange man who was the ruler of her birth country, a country she couldn't recall. Gomez just looked at her for a few moments.

"I am Ramon Gomez, Chief Minister of Colombia," he said at last.

"Um, I'm glad to meet you," Jun said warily.

"We achieved a genetic match for your mother," Gomez explained. "It turns out, your mother is my - - was my wife, Rita. I can see it's true. You resemble her sister Consuela some."

"Really?" gasped Jun with surprise. "B-But how? I thought my father . . .!"

"I will tell you that story if you truly wish to know," Gomez said. "I warn you that it is not a pretty story. But before I do that," and he seemed to brighten with the memories he was recalling, almost seeming twenty years younger in a matter of moments, "I want to tell you about Rita. For of all the crimes you may have suffered in your young life, perhaps the greatest one is that you never knew her - - never got to meet her. May I do that - - Junelle?"

"Yes, sir," Jun nodded solemnly. "I think I'd really like to know."

* * *

Sun Zhong-Ju moved surreptitiously through his class of teenage ESPers, quiet so as not to disturb their concentration. Young people trying to corral great mental powers needed quiet to concentrate. They often had enough trouble concentrating due to their youth. They didn't need his heavy hand. When he observed a situation that needed his attention, he would quietly move in and lend his expertise to the teen. Though he was just turned sixty, Sun couldn't conceive of doing anything else with the rest of his life. Sharing in the triumph of one of these young ones when they mastered a skill related to their power kept him young.

His eyes moved to Hotaru Tomoe. She was lifting a ruler in the air with her mind. This was a breakthrough for her, as before she would strain and the ruler would wobble violently. But now the ruler was level and calm, and her face was serene and calm. Then the ruler began to spin in the air, end over end, the rotations picking up speed until air displaced from the spinning began to blow Hotaru's shoulder length black hair. Silently he approached.

"You've made a breakthrough," he observed.

"I don't understand it," Hotaru replied, still marveling at the idea that her mind was manipulating this ruler. "It was always so hard before. Lifting that ruler was like lifting a hundred kilo stone. And now it's so light."

"Emotions affect our mental abilities, Hotaru-Chan," Sun explained. "Before, your powers only manifested under strong emotions of fear or anger. Such emotions can bring out the power. But emotions can also inhibit the power. Before, these emotions were blocking your power. I can see the change now."

"What change?" Hotaru asked. The ruler gently descended to the desk.

"You're happy," Sun smiled. Hotaru felt her cheeks flush. "Before, you were clouded with doubt, with shame, with low self-esteem. You saw your power as a curse. You doubted your ability to succeed. You questioned your worth to those around you. But now, your grades are up. You have a loving family structure. You have a budding career as a physician. You are a valued friend to the Princess and her senshi." He smiled wider and leaned in. "And you've become quite close to a young man."

"Are you psychic, too?" Hotaru asked uncomfortably.

"No," Sun chuckled. "But I do have ears, and the palace is filled with gossipy busybodies. These things are bound to make you happy. And that serene state allows your power to flow more easily, where before your doubt and shame constricted the flow. And the happier you are, Hotaru-Chan, the easier this all will come for you." He patted her hand. "So be happy. That's your assignment for tonight."

"Yes, Sensei," Hotaru replied demurely.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right. She was accepted here. She was succeeding. Despite their recent trouble, Hotaru knew she was lucky to have drawn Haruka and Michiru as her guardians, far luckier than Jun or Grindlewyn had been in their draw.

And then there was Yutaka.

"I wonder if he's free tonight," Hotaru wondered. Then a quite uncharacteristically salacious smirk grew on her tiny mouth. "After all, Sensei did tell me to be happy. Technically, it would be homework."

Unnoticed, the ruler rose up into the air and began to spin again.

* * *

In her room, Jun sat on her bed and stared at the picture in her hand. Chief Minister Gomez had sent a picture of his wife - - her mother. He'd also told her the story of how she'd been conceived.

Tears specked the poly-crystal covering on the picture. She'd asked him to tell her what happened, then wanted to claw her ears out when she heard it. For a moment, Jun had wanted to end it all just so she didn't have to think of such horror. And then Chief Minister Gomez told her something.

"Batista created you to be a final slap in the face to me and to Rita," he told her. "But you can foil his wicked plans, Junelle. You must be the best person you can possibly be, a person Rita would be proud of. I've heard of some of your recent work. You're already on the path. You must never waver from this, Junelle. Rita's suffering must be for someone worthwhile. Or else Batista wins one last victory."

Jun remembered nodding solemnly to Gomez because she was too choked up to speak.

"If you ever feel yourself lost or wavering," Gomez told her, "please call me. And please keep Rita in your thoughts. You would have adored her."

In the dimming light, Jun traced the outline of the face of a woman she didn't recall with her finger. With tears in her eyes, she thanked the woman for enduring everything she had and vowed to ensure that the suffering had not been in vain.

* * *

In the countryside of southern Japan, Grindlewyn, late of the plant sprites, walked and admired the beauty of the flora. It was here amid the wild flora that he truly felt inspired to write his poems and be at peace. Of course he had an affinity with plants and flowers, as he was a plant sprite. But unlike a lot of his brethren, Grindlewyn saw the beauty of what they all created. It wasn't just a job. It wasn't just a duty. It was something to be expressed, to be passed along in word as well as deed. He wanted to recreate what he saw with his written words. Even more boldly, he wanted to create new beauty with his words that matched what he saw.

He paused by a tree that had seen seventy-two years. And it was worth giving up his previous life, his family, his people, everything that he had known, to be able to do that. Maybe some day he might come to regret it. But not now.

"Still," Grindlewyn mused so softly that only the tree could hear, "I wish I could spend the time with Palla-Palla." He smiled. "Such beauty as to rival a garden at sunset."

Nudging himself off of the tree, Grindlewyn continued his journey.

"But she's better off without me. My presence in the Crystal Kingdom would only serve to be a source of ire between them and my father - - and King Gorphyn. Better that I leave such kind people in peace. And who knows, one day I might have gotten the wanderlust and left anyway. Better now that there are fewer - - attachments." His hand drifted along the trunk of another tree. "But I will visit again some day. That's a promise."

The youth continued through the patch of green, turning verses over in his head and mulling over how to improve upon the meter. Suddenly a shape appeared in the brush. He stopped with a start and looked.

"Myrah?" he asked with surprise as the first daughter of the wind sprites stepped forth.

"Grindlewyn," she said, chastely, almost timidly. It was a different demeanor indeed for the fiery princess he knew. "So you've begun your journey? Where do you intend to go - - if I may ask?"

"Wherever my feet and my muse take me," he shrugged. "It may not be much of a life, but it's a free one."

"Are you not concerned about how you'll live?"

"I'll make do," he replied with good humor. "And I was dying before, trapped in my previous life. If this one is to be shorter, at least I'll have lived before I die."

"And the human girl?" Myrah asked.

"You were probably right, Myrah," Grindlewyn gave a melancholy reply. "It wouldn't have worked. I probably couldn't have stayed, and she wouldn't leave with me."

"I think that's best for all," Myrah nodded. "You're kind for saying I was right. I thank you."

Myrah paused and Grindlewyn sensed she wanted to say more. He knew the feelings she still had for him, and out of respect for them he gave her the time to summon the courage to speak.

"Would you," Myrah began, her eyes suddenly darting away, "like a companion? For your journey, I mean!"

"Myrah?"

"I understand why you didn't want to marry me," Myrah said quickly. "Though I would have gladly been your wife, I hated being forced by tradition and ritual to do a lot of the things I had to do as well. And father - - I can't make him understand. I can't make him see. I can't be what he wants me to be. I can only be me. And I won't be married off to anyone else when it's," and she looked down again, embarrassed, "you that I love."

"You've left him then?" Grindlewyn asked. Myrah nodded, still avoiding his eyes.

"And I'll not go back. I'll not face his wrath, and I'll not be wed to someone not of my choosing, as if I were a prize mare! I know you don't love me," Myrah said. "I'm not looking for that. Not anymore. But I still - - want - - I just thought - - since we're both traveling - - perhaps we could travel - - together? A-As companions!"

Grindlewyn smiled warmly. "And a better companion no man could ever find." Myrah's face lit up with joy. Grindlewyn grew serious. "I've nothing against you, dear. You've always been fine company. I may never be able to be what you want me to be . . ."

"Oh, and you can predict the future now, can you?" Myrah demanded with a wry smile. "You may yet surprise yourself, fair Grindlewyn."

He grinned. "That I may."

He held up his crooked arm for her to take. She took it and together they headed for the future.

Conclusion


End file.
